‘stewardess’ Term Declared Outdated

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) successful nan UK has declared nan word ‘stewardess’ outdated, urging airlines and nan nationalist to usage gender-neutral terminology.

Out pinch ‘stewardess’, successful pinch ‘flight attendant’

The UK’s CAA has issued guidance arsenic portion of its inclusive-language campaign, and pursuing nan broader government-backed inclusion effort, stating that nan connection ‘stewardess’ should beryllium phased retired because it nary longer reflects modern gender equality principles

The authority recommends utilizing position specified arsenic ‘flight attendant’ aliases ‘cabin unit member’ instead.

Why nan change?

According to language-inclusivity specialists, nan word ‘stewardess’ carries gendered and humanities baggage. The CAA and others reason specified connection tin perpetuate outdated stereotypes of women successful work roles alternatively than master safety-trained personnel.

Industry context

This move follows earlier actions by regulators specified arsenic nan Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) successful nan U.S., which successful 2021 suggested replacing position for illustration ‘airman’ and ‘cockpit’ pinch gender-neutral alternatives.

The aviation manufacture has made strides successful workforce diversity, but experts opportunity connection remains a obstruction to inclusion.

What it intends for airlines and nan public

Airlines operating successful nan UK and beyond whitethorn request to reappraisal their soul documents, training materials, recruitment adverts, and public-facing communications to guarantee nan word ‘flight attendant’ aliases comparable neutral wording is used.

Members of nan nationalist and journalists are besides encouraged to adopt nan connection alteration to debar reinforcing outdated gender-bias assumptions.

Challenges and responses

Whilst galore compartment unit members invited nan alteration arsenic a measurement towards greater respect for their master role, immoderate much blimpish observers propose that altering a azygous connection will not by itself region structural inequalities successful nan industry. 

Critics besides reason that connection changes whitethorn beryllium seen arsenic symbolic unless they are backed by broader argumentation and taste shifts.

The CAA has not mandated ineligible sanctions for usage of ‘stewardess’, but framing it arsenic “offensive” sends a beardown connection astir acceptable modern terminology.

The terminology going forward

• Acceptable & recommended: ‘flight attendant’, ‘cabin unit member’, ‘cabin crew’.
• Discouraged: ‘stewardess’, ‘air hostess’ (when implying gender-specificity).
• Organisations successful nan assemblage should people aliases update inclusive-language guides.
• Media outlets are advised to adopt nan updated connection to bespeak changing norms.

Bottom line

The CAA’s connection signals a definitive push toward much gender-inclusive connection successful aviation. A alteration successful terminology whitethorn look for illustration a mini measurement to some, but it forms portion of a broader displacement toward adjacent nickname and respect successful nan cabin and beyond.