Inclusive writing is at the heart of the debates. The Senate is examining a bill which plans to ban this particular spelling from several administrative documents. They could then become inadmissible if inclusive writing appears there.
Inclusive writing does not please lovers of the French language, raises eyebrows at the French Academy, and continues to cause debate among defenders who advocate a way of fighting against gender inequalities. The words in “iel” (contraction of he and she), or “celleux” (to group those and those) even appear as “personal pronoun” in the Le Petit Robert dictionary.
Yet, this writing is not as inclusive as it seems! “Those most affected by its use are in fact people with disabilities and illiteracy, or those suffering from dyslexia. This is an additional constraint. To include, on the contrary, we must simplify the language“, argues to AFP the rapporteur (attached to LR) Cédric Vial. Remember that the use of this spelling has been prohibited in teaching since the publication of a circular dating from May 6, 2021, when Jean-Michel Blanquer was Minister of Education.
Inclusive writing could now be prohibited in many administrative documents. Uno bill, at the initiative of the right, is examined this Monday, October 30 in the Senate. The text, deemed “retrograde” by the left, aims above all to “protect the French language from the abuses of so-called inclusive writing”.
What documents are involved?
Senator Les Républicains Pascale Gruny wants to ban inclusive writing “in all cases where the legislator (and possibly the regulatory authority) requires a document in French“. Many documents could thus be affected:
- Employment contract
- Manuals
- Internal regulations of companies
- Legal acts
According to the text of the law, all documents containing inclusive writing could become inadmissible or void. Inclusive writing could also be included in the Education Code, although its use is already prohibited.