Certification is the process of officially proving that someone or something meets certain standards. It often results in a document or license that shows this approval.
From Late Latin 'certificare' meaning 'to make certain', plus the noun-forming suffix '-tion'. It literally refers to the act of making something sure in an official way.
A certificate is just a physical form of 'I’m sure'—the paper version of certainty. When you get a certification, language turns trust into an object you can hold, frame, and show to others.
Access to professional certifications and guilds was historically restricted by gender, excluding many women from recognized expertise even when they did the work. This shaped who could be called a professional or expert.
When discussing certification, be aware of historical barriers and avoid implying that lack of certification always reflects lack of skill, especially for older generations or marginalized groups.
["credential","qualification"]
Women have often performed skilled work (e.g., midwifery, teaching, coding) before formal certifications were opened to them; recognizing this helps decouple expertise from historically biased gatekeeping.
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