ESP-4121

Published

2025-10-20

Issue

Vol. 10 No. 10 (2025): Published

Section

Research Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Xinyun Chen, Zhiyi Zhang, Fangqin You, Limin Wei, Wenzhou Sh, Lan Wu, Ning Tang

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

The journal adopts the Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0), which means that anyone can reuse and redistribute the materials for non-commercial purposes as long as you follow the license terms and the original source is properly cited.

Author(s) shall retain the copyright of their work and grant the Journal/Publisher rights for the first publication with the work concurrently licensed since 2023 Vol.8 No.2.

Under this license, author(s) will allow third parties to download, reuse, reprint, modify, distribute and/or copy the content under the condition that the authors are given credit. No permission is required from the authors or the publisher.

This broad license intends to facilitate free access, as well as the unrestricted use of original works of all types. This ensures that the published work is freely and openly available in perpetuity.

By providing open access, the following benefits are brought about:

  • Higher Visibility, Availability and Citations-free and unlimited accessibility of the publication over the internet without any restrictions increases citation of the article.
  • Ease of search-publications are easily searchable in search engines and indexing databases.
  • Rapid Publication – accepted papers are immediately published online.
  • Available for free download immediately after publication at https://esp.as-pub.com/index.php/ESP

 

Copyright Statement

1.The authors certify that the submitted manuscripts are original works, do not infringe the rights of others, are free from academic misconduct and confidentiality issues, and that there are no disputes over the authorship scheme of the collaborative articles. In case of infringement, academic misconduct and confidentiality issues, as well as disputes over the authorship scheme, all responsibilities will be borne by the authors.

2. The author agrees to grant the Editorial Office of Environment and Social Psychology a licence to use the reproduction right, distribution right, information network dissemination right, performance right, translation right, and compilation right of the submitted manuscript, including the work as a whole, as well as the diagrams, tables, abstracts, and any other parts that can be extracted from the work and used in accordance with the characteristics of the journal. The Editorial Board of Environment and Social Psychology has the right to use and sub-licence the above mentioned works for wide dissemination in print, electronic and online versions, and, in accordance with the characteristics of the periodical, for the period of legal protection of the property right of the copyright in the work, and for the territorial scope of the work throughout the world.

3. The authors are entitled to the copyright of their works under the relevant laws of Singapore, provided that they do not exercise their rights in a manner prejudicial to the interests of the Journal.

About Licence

Environment and Social Psychology is an open access journal and all published work is available under the Creative Commons Licence, Authors shall retain copyright of their work and grant the journal/publisher the right of first publication, and their work shall be licensed under the Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).

Under this licence, the author grants permission to third parties to download, reuse, reprint, modify, distribute and/or copy the content with attribution to the author. No permission from the author or publisher is required.

This broad licence is intended to facilitate free access to and unrestricted use of original works of all kinds. This ensures that published works remain free and accessible in perpetuity. Submitted manuscripts, once accepted, are immediately available to the public and permanently accessible free of charge on the journal’s official website (https://esp.as-pub.com/index.php/ESP). Allowing users to read, download, copy, print, search for or link to the full text of the article, or use it for other legal purposes. However, the use of the work must retain the author's signature, be limited to non-commercial purposes, and not be interpretative.

Click to download <Agreement on the Licence for the Use of Copyright on Environmental and Social Psychology>.

How to Cite

chen, xinyun, Zhang, Z., You, F., Wei, L., Shu, W., Wu, L., & Tang, N. (2025). From policy to mindset: Psychological mechanisms linking gender-neutral language to perceptions of educational opportunity. Environment and Social Psychology, 10(10), ESP-4121. https://doi.org/10.59429/esp.v10i10.4121

From policy to mindset: Psychological mechanisms linking gender-neutral language to perceptions of educational opportunity

xinyun chen

YUNNAN UNIVERSITY, Kunming, 650091, Yunnan,China

Zhiyi Zhang

University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 8AQ, UK

Fangqin You

Al-Farabi Kazakh National university, Almaty, 050040, Republic of Kazakhstan

Limin Wei

Kyrgyz State University named after I. Arabaev, Bishkek, 720026, Kyrgyzstan

Wenzhou Shu

Sichuan International Studies University, Chongqing, 400031, China

Lan Wu

INTI International University,Negeri Sembilan,71800, Malaysia ; Sichuan TOP IT Vocational Institute, Chengdu, 611743, Sichuan, China

Ning Tang

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Macao Polytechnic University, Macao, 999078, China


DOI: https://doi.org/10.59429/esp.v10i10.4121


Keywords: GNL; psychological framing; stereotype threat; fairness perception; educational opportunity; social identity

Abstract

As an institutional or symbolic change, gender-neutral language (GNL) frequently has been discussed, although its psychological impacts have not been thoroughly researched. This experimental study is informed by the framing theory, stereotype threat, social identity theory, and expectancy-value theory in testing the hypothesis that gender-neutral and gendered institutional text exposures, using the framing theory, effect perceptions of fairness, belonging, and aspirational intent. In a between subjects research design (N = 200), the subjects viewed either gendered or gender-neutral passages of scholarship and policy and took self-report measures and an implicit association test. GNL augmented perceived fairness and belonging and augmentation of intent to apply; greatest impacts were in women and non-binary participants. These findings demonstrate that inclusive language is a cognitive intervention that directs inspirational avenues to opportunity. Direct implications of the findings in the case of educators and policymakers: the small, inexpensive amendments made to institutional texts can positively influence the perceptions of the accessibility and reinforce the engagement of underrepresented population.

References

[1]. 1.Bourdieu, P. (1991). Language and symbolic power. Harvard University Press.

[2]. 2.Sczesny, S., Formanowicz, M., & Moser, F. (2016). Can gender-fair language reduce gender stereotyping and discrimination? Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 25. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00025

[3]. 3.Mucchi-Faina, A. (2005). Visible or influential? Language reforms and gender (in)equality. Social Science Information, 44(1), 189–215. https://doi.org/10.1177/0539018405050466

[4]. 4.Entman, R. M. (1993). Framing: Toward clarification of a fractured paradigm. Journal of Communication, 43(4), 51–58. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.1993.tb01304

[5]. 5.Prewitt-Freilino, J. L., Caswell, T. A., & Laakso, E. K. (2011). The gendering of language: A comparison of gender equality in countries with gendered, natural gender, and genderless languages. Sex Roles, 66(3–4), 268–281. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-011-0083-5

[6]. 6.Stahlberg, D., Braun, F., Irmen, L., & Sczesny, S. (2007). Representation of the sexes in language. In K. Fiedler (Ed.), Social communication (pp. 163–187). Psychology Press.

[7]. 7.Tajfel, H., & Turner, J. C. (1986). The social identity theory of intergroup behavior. In S. Worchel & W. G. Austin (Eds.), Psychology of intergroup relations (pp. 7–24). Nelson-Hall.

[8]. 8.Steele, C. M., & Aronson, J. (1995). Stereotype threat and the intellectual test performance of African Americans. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69(5), 797–811. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.69.5.797

[9]. 9.Motschenbacher, H. (2010). Language, gender and sexual identity: Poststructuralist perspectives. John Benjamins.

[10]. 10.Unterhalter, E. (2005). Global inequality, capabilities, social justice: The millennium development goal for gender equality in education. International Journal of Educational Development, 25(2), 111–122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2004.11.015

[11]. 11.UNESCO. (2017). A guide for ensuring inclusion and equity in education. UNESCO Publishing.

[12]. 12.Formanowicz, M., Sczesny, S., & Moser, F. (2013). Gender-fair language and social perception: Results from a cross-national experimental study. European Journal of Social Psychology, 43(5), 573–582. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.1973

[13]. 13.Eccles, J. S., & Wigfield, A. (2002). Motivational beliefs, values, and goals. Annual Review of Psychology, 53(1), 109–132. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.53.100901.135153

[14]. 14.Fairclough, N. (1992). Discourse and social change. Polity Press.

[15]. 15.Moscovici, S. (1988). Notes towards a description of social representations. European Journal of Social Psychology, 18(3), 211–250. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.2420180303

[16]. 16.Cameron, D. (1998). The feminist critique of language. Routledge.

[17]. 17.Pauwels, A. (2003). Linguistic sexism and feminist linguistic activism. In J. Holmes & M. Meyerhoff (Eds.), The handbook of language and gender (pp. 550–570). Blackwell. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470756942.ch24

[18]. 18.Crenshaw, K. (1991). Mapping the margins: Intersectionality, identity politics, and violence against women of color. Stanford Law Review, 43(6), 1241–1299. https://doi.org/10.2307/1229039



21 Woodlands Close #02-10, Primz Bizhub,Postal 737854, Singapore

Email:editorial_office@as-pub.com