treballadora

Treballadora is a feminine noun in Catalan that designates a female worker or employee. It refers to any woman who performs work, paid or unpaid, in a professional or informal context. The masculine counterpart is treballador. In plural, feminine forms treballadores and masculine treballadors. The word is formed from treball (work) with the feminine agent suffix -adora.

In usage, treballadora can be combined with adjectives or occupational descriptors, for example treballadora social (social worker) or treballadora de la indústria (industrial worker). It is widely used in Catalan-speaking areas such as Catalonia, the Valencian Community, the Balearic Islands, and other regions where Catalan is spoken, in media, education, and public administration. In Valencian contexts, the term is used similarly, though regional variants may favor neutral phrasing like “persona que treballa” to avoid gendered forms in some styles.

Language and gender: treballadora is a gendered form, with treballador serving as the masculine counterpart. In discussions about inclusive language, some style guides recommend using non-gendered constructions or pairing forms, for example “treballadors i treballadores” or “persones que treballen,” to refer to mixed or unspecified groups. The term remains standard in formal and everyday Catalan for referring specifically to women who work.