Switching the sex of men and women with emoji of occupation to be displayable

In May 2016, in May 2016, Google proposed proposals for new emoticons to make it possible to express male and female gender, reflecting sex with regard to emoji concerning occupation from the perspective of gender equalityUnicode ConsortiumHowever, based on this proposal, a new pictogram that can express gender equality was approved and it became available.

16181-gender-zwj-sequences.pdf
(PDF file)http://www.unicode.org/L2/L2016/16181-gender-zwj-sequences.pdf

Official Google Blog: Promoting gender equality through emoji
https://googleblog.blogspot.jp/2016/07/promoting-gender-equality-through-emoji.html

According to Google, now 90% of Internet users such as e-mails and SNSs use emoji. Pictograms are indispensable as a communication tool in the digital world.


However, many pictograms representing occupations are stereotypes, for example, emoticons such as "detective," "police officer" and "construction worker" are prepared only for men, and there is no female version. To respect diversity in the digital world and to further promote gender equality, Google thought that this situation was bad.


What we noticed was the ability to synthesize pictograms called "ZWJ Sequences (ZWJ)". For example, you can create a pictogram called "a woman at the graduation ceremony" by attaching information on a square hat to a woman's emoticon with ZWJ.


By adding this gender information using this ZWJ, we can make gender equality for emoji only for male version or female version.


By using ZWJ, you can make girls equal in various occupations.


On 14th July 2016, the Unicode Consortium newly approved the following eleven kinds of emoticons. It is possible to change not only sex but also the color of skin and hair.


The existing 33 kinds of emoticons are also able to switch between men and women.


About gender equality emoji, Google has declared its response in Android version upgrade. In addition to Google, Apple and Microsoft can expect to correspond new emoticons with OS, and it is expected that gender equals pictograms will be available as soon as 2016.