The Oxford Dictionary Revises It’s Definition of ‘Woman’, Eliminates Sexist References

Post an extensive review of the several petitions that were filed last year, expressing dissent over sexist synonyms for the word 'woman' in the Oxford Dictionary, the Oxford University Press took the decision to amend the definition for the word. 

Dropping offensive terms such as 'bitch, bint and wench', the Oxford Dictionary revised it's definition to acknowledge that a woman can be a person's wife, girlfriend, or female lover, rather than being all these things only to a man. This further spurred changes related to words associated with sexual attractiveness and activity. Several labels used to refer to a woman, including bitch and bint, have also been categorised as derogatory, offensive, or dated. 

All these monumental changes can be attributed to the petitions that were filed demanding an exhaustive definition for a woman, such as it was for a man. It was further stressed that all the terms used to refer to a woman indicated a man's ownership over women, or discriminated and patronised them, and should therefore be eliminated. In addition, the need to represent minority communities such as the LGBTQ+ in the definition, was also insisted upon.

Women’s Aid and the Women’s Equality party had supported the campaign that was started by Maria Beatrice Giovanardi, on International Women’s Day. They signed an open letter and demanded OUP change the sexist definitions. "Bitch is not a synonym for woman. It is dehumanising to call a woman a bitch. It is but one sad, albeit extremely damaging, example of everyday sexism. And that should be explained clearly in the dictionary entry used to describe us," the letter read.

Maria called the inclusion of gender-neutral terminology "a huge step forward for the LGBTQI people, respecting their love and unions." While she believes that the campaign managed to achieve 90% of it's aims, she expressed her dissent due to the fact that the word bitch, that is defined as a "spiteful, unpleasant or disliked woman" still continues to be listed as a synonym.