The University of Idaho Argonaut

“You guys” is a phrase that has become a common way to greet a group of friends, but to the Women’s Center, it’s a cause they want to draw attention to.
Most people would argue that “you guys” is just a general term that includes both men and women. However, the Women’s Center argues it is a generic “male” term that makes women invisible by lumping them into a group with men.

“The ‘male’ is so ingrained in our society that when people say ‘guys’ most people picture men, not a group of men and women or just women,” said Traci Craig, professor of psychology and communications at the University of Idaho.
According to Craig, in 1937 the New York Bar Association did not allow women into its events and clubs because their constitution had “he” when referring to attorneys, which they determined to mean that women should not be allowed because they weren’t mentioned.

Later this was established to be a general term to include all attorneys in the New York Bar Association, but it shows how general language can be sexist.
The Women’s Center is trying to raise awareness of sexist language on campus.
“It’s damaging to women to refer to things as male,” said Heather Grasser, Interim Director of the Women’s Center.

Grasser argues that if “you guys” was truly an inclusive term then it wouldn’t be a big deal to greet a class with “hey girls” rather than “hey guys.” Yet referring to a group as “girls” is an insult to the men in that group.
What is interesting, Craig points out, is that children do not respond to “you guys” as an inclusive term.

“If you announce to an elementary class, ‘okay guys line up,’ the boys will line up, not the girls,” she said. “Another example would be if your 15-year-old daughter or sister said that she was going to Spokane with a group of guys, you’d think men not a mixed group.”
Reactions to this knowledge vary. Some women simply brush it off as a turn of phrase and others ask that people not refer to them as “guys.”
“We understand that some women don’t mind, but we do want to open up the conversation,” Grasser said.

The biggest argument usually presented by people for the use of “you guys,” is that those against it are just being politically correct.
 “We’re not trying to PC about it, simply trying to raise awareness that the phrase can be replaced with more inclusive terms such as y’all’,” Grasser said. “Being PC limits people’s ability to communicate.”

For more information on this topic, visit the Women’s Center located in Memorial Gym 109.