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? <br /> TESTIMONY <br /> TO: HANAII COUNTY CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION <br /> FROM: PUNA COMMUNITY COUNCIL RE: Gender Neutral Language in Charter <br /> Puna Community Council would like to recommend and support.the suggestion <br /> that the language of the present County Charter be examined to detect and correct <br /> references which are meant to include.wnmen as well as men, but which are <br /> phrased in a gender specific manner. We have attached a list of some of <br /> the references which need revision. <br /> We recommend that instead'bf "he" or "him", .the word-"person", a noun or the <br /> title of a position be used, in order to avoid language which excludes women <br /> or which evokes male imagery. Traditional sex-role stereotypes conveyed in <br /> language have been effective in shaping public opinion of women's career efforts, <br /> even though some progress has been made through laws which address discrimination. <br /> Gender neutral language promotes conceptualization of role models of both <br /> genders and encourages children of both sexes to "see" and "hear" themselves <br /> in a wide variety of occupational groups even though the participation of <br /> one gender is minimal at present, e.g. , women in engineering, men in nursing. <br /> Language which is gender neutral invites women and men to participate <br /> equally in government institutions and community activities described in <br /> our Charter. • <br /> Submitted by Ron Phillips <br /> Don Jacobs <br /> Ginny Aste <br /> Richard Hahn <br /> 543 <br />