Gender Equality and Our Role as Professional & Technical Communicators —

As professional & technical communicators, we understand that words have an impact on our audience. When we take on projects that aim to support those experiencing gender-based discrimination in the workplace, it’s important to review and analyze the different kinds of technical communication currently mitigating misogynistic prejudice. In doing so, we can improve our allyship and better support our audience.

Take the next step in understanding how technical communication acts as an agent of change in the workplace by reading through the resources below.

A Background

Gender-based discrimination in the workplace takes countless forms. These behaviors might look like an unwanted, inappropriate joke made at the expense of a female coworker, or a hardworking employee failing to receive a major promotion simply because of her gender. There are various state and federal laws across the country that attempt to criminalize gender-based discrimination, but this kind of prejudice is something that many women* interact with on a daily basis. According to EMBROKER (2022), as many as 42% of women have experienced misogynistic discrimination at their place of work.

How does professional & technical communication play a role in workplace discrimination?

As technical communicators, we understand that oftentimes our goal is to educate and support an audience. This list of real-life artifacts demonstrates how technical communication has been used to mitigate bigotry against women* in the office throughout the last 40 years. At (Company Name), we hope that these examples and subsequent analyses will inform your own work on the subject.

In handling topics as serious as discrimination, it’s important to remember the significance of mindfulness and how our rhetorical choices affect the message our audience receives. Our work as professional & technical communicators influences our readers’ understanding of vital sociopolitical information, and it is our duty to relay such knowledge in a clear, helpful, and sensitive manner.

(Organization’s website) “Gender Discrimination at Work” web page is another helpful resource that offers support to victims of gender-based discrimination in the workplace. Defining harassment and inequity, providing examples of unlawful workplace behavior, and exploring legal proceedings, this page acts a lifeline for female* employees who have been victimized in their place of work. (Organization’s website) is a great example of how professional and technical communicators are capable of providing comprehensive, educational, and accessible resources on gender-based discrimination. So, what rhetorical tools has this organization used to make their web page so successful?

Firstly, the site is intuitive and user-friendly. The various informational segments are clickable, bolded, and titled with questions a reader might be asking themselves (See: “What are my rights?”, “What can I do?”, and “What could happen?” title labels). It’s clear that the author prioritizes consideration of their readers in the layout of the design.

Additionally, the section titled “How to use this guide” is followed by a trigger warning — “Content warning: This guide contains information and examples of discrimination based on gender identity, perceived gender identity, and sexual orientation that may be triggering for you, because instances of discrimination can be traumatic. Please be aware of your emotional and mental needs while reading” (Citation of website). By including this message at the top of the webpage, the author is communicating to the reader that they are cared for by this organization and that they prioritize the needs of victims.

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As we consider the application of these skillsets in our own work relating to discrimination in the workplace, it’s important to keep in mind how rhetorical decisions such as these might impact our audience. The author of this site remains cognizant of the accessibility needs that may be required, the various perspectives readers might bring to this resource platform, and what limitations could make it difficult for readers to engage with the site.

Because this technical writer had such awarenesses, they were able to make design choices that benefited the audience and supported their goals.. It’s vital that as professional and technical communicators, we strive for this mentality. This is particularly important when handling topics relating to social inequity and systematic discrimination. In these cases, we’re impacting the lives, careers, and social experiences of our readers. We know that it’s impossible to remove such truths from the decisions we make when writing for oppressed individuals, so we must care for and accommodate these readers in order to successfully expand the bandwidth of our writing.