The Politics of Naming Reform in the Gendered Spheres of Home and Work

Naming has been a central focus of feminist language planning. The initial emphasiswas on reforming naming practices for women in public spheres (work, education,media). More recently public discourses about work/life balance have drawn togetherthe public and private, shaping the naming practices for women and men in thesedomains. This paper explores the dynamics and politics of naming in the intersectinggendered spheres of work and home. Our focus is on the naming of men who occupythe space traditionally associated with women in the home: child care and homeduties. We address the consequences of social change on planning agendas and reformstrategies in the light of the role of gender-inclusive language planning to promotelinguistic equality.