Regulation on the Formulation of Official Texts Respecting Gender Equality, of 25 November 2015 - Application

1. The purpose of this regulation is to implement, while respecting the French language, the principle of gender equality in the formulation of official texts (gender-neutral language).

2. It applies to all acts originating from the Council of State and its departments, the cantonal administration, and cantonal public law institutions, whether or not they possess legal personality, as well as to all other official notices, forms, and publications.

1. The wording of official texts, particularly normative acts and the accompanying documents, must adhere to the principle of gender equality. To this end, a combination of the following drafting rules is applied: text reformulation, use of neutral or epicene forms, and combined use of the feminine and masculine forms.

2. However, the following principles must be respected

a) The phrasing of official texts that respects gender equality must be achieved primarily through text reformulation or through the use of neutral or epicene forms.

b) If it is not possible to reformulate the text, if a neutral or epicene form does not exist, or if it is necessary to explicitly mention women and men as active subjects, the feminine and masculine forms are used conjointly.

c) The use of hyphens is permitted for words whose feminine and masculine variants differ only very slightly.

1. Partial revision of official texts is not undertaken for exclusively linguistic reasons.

2. During the revision of an official text, the drafting rules provided in Article 2 are applied to the extent that the understanding of the text and its consistency allow.

1. In personalized documents, women are referred to as "Madam," and men as "Sir."

2. Titles, positions, and professions are indicated in feminine or masculine form, according to the gender of the recipient.

Regulation concerning the non-sexist wording of official texts, dated May 30, 1995 [2], is repealed.

1. This regulation shall enter into force immediately.

2. It shall be published in the Official Gazette and inserted into the Collection of Neuchâtel Legislation.