DIRE ET SE DIRE AU FÉMININ

Abstract

The decree of 21st of June 1993 sets out how to express the female gender in profession names and function titles in official and administrative publications of the Communaute francaise de Belgique. It has helped to change mindsets. The guide Mettre au feminin (“Express the female gender”) allows civil servants to fulfil the requirements of the decree and helps promote the usage of the female gender in the French language. First published in 1994, it has been reviewed and re-edited in 2005. Even if the visibility of women in language usage is on the increase, it faces not so much linguistic but ideological obstacles.