Inclusive content: how to check for unconscious bias
- Jul 25
- 5 min read
Updated: Aug 3
You're already in the habit of checking your spelling and grammar as you work, but have you ever considered whether your unconscious biases show up in your everyday communication? Poorly chosen words or phrases can result in you excluding or alienating the people you're trying to connect with.
Conventions and norms in language constantly shift over time, and what was once ‘good practice’ or represents accepted or acceptable use is constantly being updated and replaced - Chartered Institute of Linguistics
So it's worth being aware of the free Microsoft tool that helps you to spot potential biases in real-time. It even offers alternatives you might want to consider.
Of course, you should never rely on technology alone to ensure you communicate in an inclusive way and promote equality. I've added some inclusive language resources at the end of this post that can support you with ongoing training and develpment.
What the inclusivity checker does
Microsoft Word's inclusivity checker doesn't just flag typos and missing commas; it actively scans your text for ageism, gender bias, ableist language, cultural slurs, and socioeconomic assumptions.
Once enabled, Word’s inclusivity checker works alongside standard grammar checking. As you type, words or phrases that may reflect unconscious biases are flagged directly in your document with purple double underlines or dotted lines.
1. Gender bias and gender specific language
Words can reinforce assumptions about gender specific professionals or titles. The inclusivity checker will flag words like manpower, chairman, policeman, fireman, mailman, and mankind.
It's likely to suggest neutral equivalents like workforce, chairperson or chair, police officer, firefighter, postal worker, and humanity.
2. Gender-neutral pronouns
Written communication can often default to binary phrasing that assumes only two genders or defaults to masculine pronouns. The inclusivity checker will look for phrases like 'he or she', 'his or her', or using 'he' as a default universal pronoun.
It will help you to rephrasing sentences to use the singular 'they or their' or restructure the sentence to remove gendered pronouns altogether.
3. Age bias
When referring to younger or older people, careless phrasing can lead to you unintentionally patronising your audience or reinforcing stereotypes.
The inclusivity checker will help you to replace terminology such as 'the elderly' with respectful person-centred language such as 'older adults'.
However, using the right words is only part of the solution. You also need to use them in the right context. For example, Uber allow users of their app to switch to a 'Simple mode'. This is a brilliant user-centred development, but suggesting the simplified version is 'for older adults' makes several assumptions. Firstly, it implies that age is the only reason people would need or prefer an interface that is easy and intuitive to use. Secondly, it makes assumptions about age and digital literacy.
4. Cultural and racial bias
Some terminology can reinforce racial inequality, or stem from colonial history.
The inclusivity checker could help you identify inappropriate technical or business jargon like 'whitelist', 'blacklist', 'master and slave', or outdated regional descriptions. It can help you to find suitable phrases like 'allow list', 'block list', 'primary and secondary', as well as accurate geographic descriptions.
Google recognise that many such non-inclusive terms are "in wide use in the [digital] industry." The terminology can even be hard-coded into the back-end of applications. They have produced some good practice solutions for replacing or writing around established terms in their 'Write inclusive documentation' guidance. I've included a link to it at the end of this article.
5. Disability and ableist language
'Everyday' idioms can trivialise physical or mental health conditions, and reinforce the use of outdated terminology.
Word's inclusivity checker can help to challenge your use of phrases like 'suffering from...' or '...victim'.
6. Sexual orientation bias
Although you may not intend it, your language may default to heteronormative assumptions or rely on outdated identity labels. For example, you may make assumptions about opposite-sex partners. The inclusivity checker can help you to use inclusive alternatives such as 'spouse', 'partner', or 'huband or wife'.
7. Socioeconomic bias
The language you choose can stigmatise people based on their income or class status. Word's inclusivity checker can help you to spot outdated phrases like 'poor' that can reduce somebody's identity to their socio-economic status.
Talking about ‘poor women/girls’ is patronizing and implies that being poor is an inherent characteristic of who they are, rather than the situation that they are in. It also implies that women and girls who live in poverty are a homogenous group and primarily characterized by their economic situation. Oxfam - Inclusive Language Guide
How to enable the inclusivity checker
Inclusivity checks are turned off by default in standard installations of Microsoft 365, so you need to enable them manually.
Here is how to turn them on across both the desktop app and the web version of Word.
Using the desktop app
Open 'Options' on Windows or 'Preferences' on Mac
On Windows, select 'File' in the ribbon, then select 'Options'
On Mac, select 'Word' in menu bar and then select 'Preferences'
Navigate to 'Proofing Settings' (under 'Spelling and Grammar')
On Windows, select 'Proofing' from the sidebar. Under 'When correcting spelling and grammar in Word', ensure 'Grammar and Refinements' is selected in the 'Writing Style' drop-down menu. Then select 'Settings'
On Mac, select 'Spelling and Grammar' and open the 'Grammar and Refinements' settings
Enable Inclusiveness Checks
Scroll down through the settings list until you reach the Inclusiveness section. Check the boxes for each category you wish to enable:
Age bias
Cultural bias
Gender bias
Gender-neutral pronouns
Racial bias
Sexual orientation bias
Socioeconomic bias
Save Your Settings
Select 'OK' to save your preferences and close the options menu.
Word will now automatically flag inclusive language opportunities in all current and future documents.
Using Word for the Web (Online Version)
Open any document
Go to the 'Home' or 'Review' tab and select 'Editor' to open the Editor side-panel
Click the 'Settings' gear icon in the Editor panel
Under 'Proofing and Refinements', expand the 'Inclusiveness' section
Toggle on the inclusive language checks you want active, then close the settings panel
How to review inclusivity checker suggestions
To check your writing for inclusivity, open the 'Editor' panel on the right sidebar. Any flagged terms will be shown under the 'Refinements' section, under 'Inclusiveness'. Clicking on a flagged term gives you an explanation of why the phrase might be problematic, alongside instant, single-click replacement suggestions.
Key takeaways
We all have unconscious bias.
Our biases can show up in our communications and alientate or offend those we want to connect with.
Best practice in the use of language and terminology changes over time, often as a result of research with the people it impacts.
Using technology to check for inclusivity should never replace our personal responsibility to keep developing our knowledge and awareness.
