Dutch terms "autochtoon" and "allochtoon" losing favor

The Scientific Council for Government Policy (WRR) and Statistics Netherlands are dropping the Dutch terms "autochtoon" and "allochtoon", the Volkskrant reports. According to the two institutions, the words aren't accurate enough anymore and are stigatizing.

The word autochtoon refers to a Netherlands resident whose parents are both Dutch. Allochtoon refers to a Netherlands resident who has at least one non-Dutch parent. The terms were first used by the WRR in a 1989 report called Immigration Policy. Today the institute is saying goodbye to the terms in a report titled Migration and classifcation: towards a multi migration idiom.

According to NOS, the report in itself is not yet advice for the government. But it does determine the tone in which the words are regarded and is a prelude to a more comprehensive report that is to be released next year.

The two institutions will not replace the terms with alternatives. Instead people will be referred to as "people with a migration background" and "people with a Dutch background."