In line with their announcement back in March of this year, the Real Academia Española (RAE) will be updating its online version of the Dictionary of the Spanish Language next month and adding further clarification to its definition of the "weaker sex" (sexo débil).
The expression will remain in the dictionary since there are many literary references to it dating back to the 18th century, but its use will henceforth be defined as "derogatory or discriminatory".
RAE sources explained that they could not simply eliminate it from the dictionary "as its use is widely documented". They also pointed out that the decision to redefine the expression was taken last year, and therefore has absolutely nothing to do with the recent Internet campaign to have the entry changed - a campaign that generated over 150,000 signatures.
The first author to use the expression the "weaker sex" in Spanish (according to the RAE) was Leandro Fernández de Moratín in 1790, followed by the Count of Noroña, Espronceda, Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda, Bretón de los Herreros, José Tomás de Cuéllar "Facundo", José María Pereda, Pedro Antonio de Alarcón, Ricardo Palma, Emilia Pardo Bazán, Blanco White, Ortega Munilla, Leopoldo Alas Clarín, Benito Pérez Galdós y Juan Apapucio Corrales.
To these names we can also add the more recent Gregorio Marañón, Eugenio Noel, Coloma, Wenceslao Fernández Flórez, Miguel Ángel Asturias, Ibargüengoitia, Victoria Ocampo, M. Longares, Mujica Laínez, Álvaro Pombo, Che Guevara, Gonzalo Celorio, Carlos Ruiz Zafón and Carmen Alborch, amongst many others.
The first author to use the "stronger sex" was Benito Jerónimo Feijoo in 1760, followed by Mariano José de Larra, Bretón de los Herreros, Modesto Lafuente, Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda, Rosalía de Castro, Facundo, Pedro Antonio de Alarcón, Emilia Pardo Bazán, Ricardo Palma, Leopoldo Alas Clarín, Benito Pérez Galdós, Concepción Arenal, Rubén Darío, Miguel de Unamuno, Gonzalo Torrente Ballester, amongst others.
The expression "weaker sex" is currently defined as "women regarded collectively" and the "stronger sex" as "men regarded collectively".
As for the "stronger sex" (sexo fuerte), RAE sources confirm that its use will be redefined as "ironic".
Photo: Darío Villanueva, director of the Real Academia Española (RAE).
