Use Gender Inclusive Language

The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) suggests the following guidelines:

Generic Use

Although "man" in its original sense carried the dual meaning of adult human and adult male, its meaning has come to be so closely identified with adult male that the generic use of "man" and other words with masculine markers should be avoided.

Examples Alternatives
mankind
humanity, people, human beings

man's achievements		 human achievements

man-made
synthetic, manufactured, machine-made
the common man
the average person, ordinary people

man the stockroom		 staff the stockroom
nine man-hours
nine staff-hours

 


Occupations

Avoid the use of MAN in occupational terms when persons holding the job could be either male or female.

Examples Alternatives
chairman coordinator (of a committee or department), moderator (of a
meeting), presiding officer, head, chair
businessman business executive
fireman firefighter
mailman mail carrier
steward and stewardess flight attendant
policeman and policewoman police officer
congressman congressional representative



Pronouns

Because English has no generic singular—or common-sex—pronoun, we have used "he," "his," and "him" in such expressions as "the student needs his pencil." When we constantly personify "the judge," "the critic," "the executive," "the author," and so forth, as male by using the pronoun "he," we are subtly conditioning ourselves against the idea of a female judge, critic, executive, or author. There are several alternative approaches for ending the exclusion of women that results from the pervasive use of masculine pronouns.

a. Recast into the plural  
Example Alternative
Give each student his paper as soon as he is finished. Give students their papers as soon as they are finished.

b. Reword to eliminate gender problems

  
Example Alternative
The average student is worried about his grade. The average student is worried about grades.
c. Replace the masculine pronoun with one, you, or (sparingly) he or she, as appropriate.  
Example Alternative
If the student was satisfied with his performance on the pretest, he took the post-test. A student who was satisfied with her or his performance on the pretest took the post-test.
d. Alternate male and female examples and expressions. (Be careful not to confuse the reader.)  
Example Alternative

Let each student participate. Has he had a chance to talk? Could he feel left out?		 Let each student participate. Has she had a chance to talk? Could he feel left out?


This page was adapted wholly from "Non-Sexist Language" The Purdue University Online Writing Lab