Public Defender Says a “Sexist Word” Should Be Removed from Legal Acts
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Monday, August 13
Georgian Public Defender Nino Lomjaria has appealed to the Prime Minister of Georgia Mamuka Bakhtadze with a general proposal and requested to modify the term "head of the family" used in the legislative acts issued by the Government with a more neutral name.
The ombudsperson says that even though the legal acts do not directly specify who is or should be the head of the family, a man has been traditionally considered as the "head of the family” as a decision-maker due to his gender for centuries.
Lomjaria believes that the use of this term nowadays strengthens stereotypes about women, according to which, a woman is a secondary member of the family, who cannot equally earn or make decisions, which, in turn, encourages negative views on gender.
“The general proposal also indicates that the legislation, which is a live organism and must constantly aspire to the ideals of a democratic society, such as the establishment of equality and a society free of stereotypes, plays a significant role in the relations between the state and the community,” Lomjaria says.
Lomjaria notes that the main characteristic of the family, as the primary cell of the community, is equality and equal participation of persons in the household activities, while the term used at the legislative level contradicts the principle of equality and implies the dominance of one of the persons.
The public defender states that the content of the “head of the family,” implying a contact member of the family who, as a rule, is best informed about other family members, should be brought into focus for the legislative acts.
