Microsoft Word has started offering ‘politically correct’ alternatives to some words and expressions, but a new “inclusive language feature” has left many users unimpressed.
The tech giant announced last year that it was working “to remove non-inclusive language commonly found within the technology and cybersecurity sectors.”
In line with that goal, the latest version of Microsoft Word in Office 365 has an additional editor tool that suggests “more inclusive” alternatives to commonly used words and phrases that might offend someone in relation to gender, age, sexual orientation, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. When the new function is used, any potentially offensive words, like all other ‘errors,’ are underlined, allowing the writer to fix them if they wish.
According to media reports, the new tool suggests, for example, replacing “mankind” with “humankind” or “humanity,” and offers to change “maid” to the genderless “house cleaner” and, in a similar vein, “mistress” to “lover.” It recommends using “principal” instead of “headmaster” and “workforce” in place of “manpower.”
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