Inclusive language: Socioeconomic status

Socioeconomic status is a social factor that categorizes people based on their income, education, occupation, and perceived social class. When writing on topics that center around income, education, occupation, and social class, using the right language will prevent alienating parts of your audience. Non-inclusive language can be harmful as it perpetuates stereotypes and overgeneralizes. So, if you want your online content to be inclusive, you should strive to only include what is relevant and be as specific as possible. In this article, we’ll give you tips on using inclusive language when discussing socioeconomic issues. 

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Income

Avoid using stigmatizing or generalizing language when writing about income. See the examples below. 

Non-inclusive phrases: poverty-stricken; welfare reliant; the poor. 
Inclusive phrases: people whose income is below the poverty threshold, people with low income, receiving welfare. 

When writing about income, only include what is necessary and relevant for your content and be as specific as possible. For example, when referring to those with low or high income, explain whether that classification is based on federal poverty guidelines or other factors. 

Non-inclusive phrases: it is crucial to create policies that will help the poor. 
Inclusive phrases: it is crucial to create policies that will help people whose incomes are below the federal poverty threshold. 

Housing

Avoid overgeneralizing statements about housing.   

Non-inclusive phrases: The homeless are in need of assistance.  
Inclusive phrases: People experiencing homelessness are in need of assistance.

Citizenry and Documentation 

Harmful and non-inclusive language is also found in relation to whether or not someone is a citizen of a country or whether they hold certain documentation. For instance, describing people as illegal is not only harmful but also inaccurate. Consider these examples. 

Non-inclusive phrases: the undocumented; illegal immigrants, illegal aliens. 
Inclusive phrases: people who are undocumented; undocumented people. 

Occupation 

One primary occupation that tends to be the recipient of harmful language is sex work. Avoid using language that has negative connotations or is pejorative to describe people who do this occupation.  
 
Non-inclusive phrases : prostitute (unless referring to someone who explicitly wants to be referred to with this term). This term implies a state of sexual dishonor, particularly for women. 
Inclusive phrases: sex worker. 

Criminal record

It is also important to use inclusive language when talking about people who have been convicted or incarcerated. Use terms that are humanizing and don’t reduce people to their experiences with the criminal justice system. See the examples below 

Non-inclusive phrases: ex-con; felon; ex-offender. 
Inclusive phrases: people who have had /with felony convictions; people who have been incarcerated; formerly incarcerated person. 
 

Read more

To learn more about how to write on these topics, read the APA guide linked below:

• Socioeconomic status (apa.org)
• Words Matter: Using Humanizing Language (The Fortune Society)

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