Strafelda, Ellie2018-06-192018-06-192018https://hdl.handle.net/11299/197924University Honors Capstone Project Paper, University of Minnesota Duluth, 2018.This study aims to find a relationship between female influence on one’s life and that individual’s attitude toward sexist language. The literature documents conflicting opinions about politically correct language. Those in support of inclusive language argue that sexist or offensive language has larger social implications that affect the population, and it should be removed from everyday speech. Specifically, that superiors in work environments who allow sexist language give the impression that this language is a signal that sexist actions are also acceptable. On the other hand, opponents of language change state that exclusive language is used when there is a strong discriminatory feeling, and changing the word in question does not combat the problem. Also, free speech is threatened when language is restricted. Studies also show that specific variables are telling of attitudes towards sexist language, including gender, work environment, and feminist identity. This study analyzed the influence of female relationships in their lives on subject’s attitudes towards sexist language. Subjects completed a survey asking them questions about their relationships with females in order to calculate a composite score for the amount of female influence. Subjects then completed the Inventory of Attitudes Toward Sexist/Nonsexist Language-General Version and a composite score was calculated that reflects the individual’s attitude toward sexist language. When analyzed for a bivariate correlation, no significant relationship was found. It is suspected that there were several limitations of the study that may have influenced the results and future studies should take these into account when further searching for correlation between these two variables.enUniversity of Minnesota DuluthSexist languageRelationshipsPolitically correct languageAttitudesUniversity HonorsScholarly Text or Essay