mlsanityData to 14 Oct 2026

The Lou Dataset -- Exploring the Impact of Gender-Fair Language in German Text Classification

arXiv 2409.17929 ↗First posted 26 Sep 2024cs.CLcited by 5

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Abstract (arXiv)

Gender-fair language, an evolving German linguistic variation, fosters inclusion by addressing all genders or using neutral forms. Nevertheless, there is a significant lack of resources to assess the impact of this linguistic shift on classification using language models (LMs), which are probably not trained on such variations. To address this gap, we present Lou, the first dataset featuring high-quality reformulations for German text classification covering seven tasks, like stance detection and toxicity classification. Evaluating 16 mono- and multi-lingual LMs on Lou shows that gender-fair language substantially impacts predictions by flipping labels, reducing certainty, and altering attention patterns. However, existing evaluations remain valid, as LM rankings of original and reformulated instances do not significantly differ. While we offer initial insights on the effect on German text classification, the findings likely apply to other languages, as consistent patterns were observed in multi-lingual and English LMs.

Key facts. Cited by 5 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026). Builds on 34 of its 47 references that are in the map. First posted on arXiv 26 Sep 2024.

Builds on

34 of 47 references.

References · 34

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22 more
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Built on by

Cited by year (2026 to 14 Oct)

Citing papers per year: 2025: 4; 2026: 1.

5 papers.

  1. 2025FairTranslate: An English-French Dataset for Gender Bias Evaluation in Machine Translation by Overcoming Gender Binaritycited by 5
  2. 2025An LLM-as-a-judge Approach for Scalable Gender-Neutral Translation Evaluationcited by 2
  3. 2025Gender-Neutral Rewriting in Italian: Models, Approaches, and Trade-offscited by 0
  4. 2025Teaching and Critiquing Conceptualization and Operationalization in NLPcited by 0
  5. 2026GRUFF: LLM Pronoun Fidelity, Reasoning, and Biases in Germancited by 0