@article{01K7RJWCDB49A1NNR1MRH6XKDQ,
  abstract     = {{Research has shown that the mental representations evoked by Dutch masculine pronouns, even when intended as generic, can be male-biased (Redl, 2021). Such bias can perpetuate gender inequalities in society (e.g., Stout & Dasgupta, 2011), prompting language users to seek more inclusive alternatives, such as gender-neutral pronouns. This study investigates the effect of Dutch gender-neutral pronouns as generic referential strategies on perceived text quality, and maps familiarity with and attitudes toward Dutch gender-neutral pronouns. The first experiment was conducted among a representative sample of Belgian participants, while the second experiment involved a mixed sample of Belgian and Dutch participants, thus facilitating a comparison between the two varieties of Dutch. The results show that gender-neutral pronouns do not affect text comprehensibility. However, the pronoun combination die-die-diens (subject-object-possessive) may impair text appreciation, even among young, highly educated participants familiar with gender-neutral pronouns. This study documents increasing familiarity with gender-neutral pronouns in Flanders and is the first to map familiarity in the Netherlands. Taking into account attitude measures, hen in subject position has little potential to be accepted, but the combination die-hen-hun does show potential. Additionally, our study suggests that plural forms are a viable gender-inclusive referential strategy for those who seek to avoid masculine generics.}},
  articleno    = {{e30}},
  author       = {{Verhaegen, Hanne and Van Hoof, Sarah and Van Herck, Rebecca and Gabriel, Ute and Gygax, Pascal and Decock, Sofie}},
  issn         = {{0142-7164}},
  journal      = {{APPLIED PSYCHOLINGUISTICS}},
  keywords     = {{Dutch,gender-inclusive language,gender-neutral pronouns,masculine generics,text quality,LANGUAGE}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{42}},
  title        = {{The effect of Dutch gender-neutral pronouns on perceived text quality : generic reference in employee guidelines}},
  url          = {{http://doi.org/10.1017/s0142716425100167}},
  volume       = {{46}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}

Altmetric

View in Altmetric

Web of Science

Times cited: