Woke scientists urge people to refer to women as 'egg-producing' people

Women should be referred to as “egg producing” and men as “sperm-producing”, according to scientists who claim some terminology is not inclusive.

Researchers studying ecology and evolutionary biology suggest that words like “male” and “female” should be phased out because they reinforce ideas that sex is binary.

To avoid “emphasising hetero-normative views” terms such as “XY/XX individual” should be used instead.

Other words and terms deemed problematic include man, woman, mother, father, primitive, advanced, alien, invasive, exotic, non-native and race.

The concept comes as part of the EEB (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology) Language Project, which was founded by a collaboration of scientists in the US and Canada.

Scientists have collated a group of “problematic” words which have been identified as harmful
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Scientists are also advising not to use “survival of the fittest” because it discriminates against people with disabilities.

Discussing the term "fitness" - used in biology to signify the success of a species in its habitat - Haley Branch, a doctoral candidate at the University of British Columbia (UBC) said: “The definition is about reproductive output, which doesn't take into account individuals that don't produce offspring.”

The abandonment of traditional terms has faced backlash as critics warn that it could leave science lacking precision as well as causing confusion.

Prof Frank Furedi, an education expert at the University of Kent, said: “I think that when you characterise terms like male/female, mother/father as harmful you are abandoning science for ideological advocacy.

“Regardless of intent, the project of re-engineering language will cause confusion to many and the last thing that scientists need is a lack of clarity about the meaning of the words they use.”

The EEB Language Project has collated a group of “problematic” words which have been identified as harmful.

Other flagged words include “citizen science” which could be “harmful to non-citizens” who may feel excluded.

Instead, scientists suggest “participant science or community science”.

Experts suggest some words 'emphasise hetero-normative views'
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Even the phrase “double-blind” - which is often used to describe trials where neither the participants nor scientists know if they are on a drug or placebo - has been considered as potentially offensive to those with disabilities.

Dr Danielle Ignace of UBC said: “The EEB Language Project will be a living document, as particular words that are harmful and their alternatives can change over time.

“People can submit their suggestions online and have their voices heard. They can also get more involved as an individual, as an institution, or at the community level. The hope is that this grassroots effort brings people together.”

Advocates of the changes say that although the use of “harmful” language is not usually intentional they warn “inadvertent harm” can arise due to “inherent complexities and historical legacies of language”.