Gender equality

Gender equality

At the Journal Antigüedad y Cristianismo we want to apply a policy of gender equality by applying measures that:

1º- Have made it possible to exceed 40% of women in the Editorial Team as well as in the external evaluation processes.

2º- The inclusion of the full names of the authors in the published works.

3- Recommendation of the use of inclusive language in the paper presented to the journal in accordance with the Real Academia de la Lengua (Royal Academy of Language).

4- To make a commitment to inclusive and neutral language in the journal.

5º- The express desire to improve this aspect within the journal until parity is achieved and thus eliminate the glass ceiling that limits female participation in the different phases of the process of production and dissemination of knowledge.

Inclusive and non-sexist language

Antigüedad y Cristianismo encourages authors to adopt inclusive and non-sexist language in their submissions, in line with the promotion of gender equality in science advocated by the European Research Area (ERA) agenda for the period 2022–2024, specifically under Action 5: “Promote gender equality and foster inclusiveness.”

We acknowledge that not all texts lend themselves equally to the adaptation of linguistic formulas in accordance with inclusive language standards. Moreover, we recognize that the promotion of gender equality extends far beyond morphological considerations alone. Nevertheless, we share the view expressed in the Guide for non-sexist language usage (UAM, 2019) that the language provides sufficient resources and mechanisms to communicate effectively. As the guide states: “The speaker can choose among various forms to express themselves in an inclusive and non-sexist manner, so that language becomes a tool for change” (p. 9).

For further guidance, we recommend consulting the APA’s guidelines on inclusive writing:
https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/bias-free-language

At Antigüedad y Cristianismo, we believe that even a small effort in choosing inclusive language while drafting an academic article can represent a significant step forward for society. Scientific communication cannot remain isolated from the societal transformations that underpin it.

Specific Recommendations

The guidelines set out below have been prepared with reference to both the working document drafted by Ana Costa (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid) and the Non-Sexist Usage Guide for Spanish Vocabulary issued by the University of Murcia.

Use of the Generic Masculine

Its indiscriminate use should be avoided, and its appropriateness should be considered in contexts where it may lead to an exclusionary linguistic practice. It is preferable to employ formulations that make it clearly understood that the reference is intended to include both women and men.

Dual Forms

This mechanism may be appropriate at specific points in a text—such as greetings, headings, or direct forms of address; however, the constant repetition of such duplications, which may affect not only the noun but also the elements that accompany it, tends to hinder reading and produce unnecessary redundancies. If opting for this procedure, it is possible to alternate the order of the terms. The use of dual forms as the only or systematic strategy throughout the discourse is not recommended.

Contexts of Use

In written contexts where conciseness and precision are required, certain resources can facilitate inclusive expression, such as the use of slashes, hyphens, or parentheses. It must be recalled that the @ sign is a symbol, not a letter of the Spanish alphabet; it lacks standardisation and has no oral counterpart, and therefore its use is limited to informal situations.

Agreement

Agreement raises syntactic issues that should be considered within the framework of inclusive language:

a) Grammatical correctness must prevail. When nouns are duplicated and accompanied by adjectives, the standard rule requires the masculine form of the adjective. On some occasions, invariable adjectives can resolve these duplications (for example, the intelligent Juan and Adriana). However, there is not always adequate semantic equivalence between variable adjectives and the invariable ones that could replace them (clever and intelligent are not interchangeable in all contexts). Duplications can also be avoided by using a relative clause or by placing the adjective before the duplicated nouns.

b) For comparatives and superlatives, invariable adjectives or collective nouns may be used to avoid equity problems in potentially ambiguous statements.

c) To maintain agreement without multiplying nouns and adjectives, one may choose to duplicate only the articles, alternating their order (the male students and the female students / the female students and the male students), or omit one of them when the context allows (the female and male students).

d) Gender-marked pronouns follow the same rules of agreement as the other elements of the noun phrase, and therefore must agree with the noun they replace. Invariable pronouns (who, whoever) are especially useful, as are those that acquire a generic value when replacing collective or abstract nouns. As for quantifiers, alternatives should be sought when their use may give rise to exclusionary interpretations.

e) The construction article + relative may be replaced by gender-neutral relative pronouns (who, whoever). Thus, instead of He who decides so may stand as class representative, one may use Whoever decides so may stand as class representative.