Abstract:
Almost all of the 2,178 articles of the Louisiana Civil Code—
the state’s principal source of law—use solely masculine
pronouns. Yet contemporary research has made it increasingly clear that the use of such masculine-gendered language, when
intended and understood to reference both males and females,
propagates stereotypes and biases against women and others who
do not identify as male. As many state legislatures that have
stopped using male-gendered language have recognized,
removing language that excludes over half of the population from
the law, which claims authority over all and is backed by the
power of the government, is essential to promoting fairness and
justice in society. This Comment argues that Louisiana must do
the same.
