Gender Neutral Language It’s more important than you think!

In 1972… some three hundred college students were asked to select… a variety of pictures that would appropriately illustrate the different chapters of a sociology textbook being prepared for publication. Half the students were assigned chapter headings like “Social Man”, “Industrial Man”, and “Political Man”. The other half was given different but corresponding headings like “Society”, “Industrial Life”, and “Political Behavior”. Analysis of the pictures selected revealed that in the minds of students of both sexes use of the word man evoked, to a statistically significant degree, images of males only — …whereas the corresponding headings without man evoked images of both males and females…. The authors concluded, “This is rather convincing evidence that when you use the word man generically, people do tend to think male, and tend not to think female ” ([Miller et al. 1980, pages 19-20],Miller et al quoted by Spertus; emphasis added).Spertus

"Biased language can cause your reader to focus on how you say something rather than what you say. If your language is free of bias, it should offend no one; ideally, no one should even notice that you have made an effort to reduce sexually biased words and phrases.” (leo.stcloudstate.edu/style/genderbias)

The following five options will enable you to revise your writing so that your use of pronouns is both gender-free and correct.

(leo.stcloudstate.edu/style/genderbias) 1. Use the plural form: Biased: Studying the techniques by which A CELEBRATED WRITER achieves HIS success…. Better: Studying the techniques by which CELEBRATED WRITERS achieve THEIR successes….

(leo.stcloudstate.edu/style/genderbias) 2.Omit the pronoun altogether: Biased: Each doctor should send ONE OF HIS NURSES to the…. Better: Each doctor should send A NURSE …

(leo.stcloudstate.edu/style/genderbias) 3. Switch from the third person (he, she, it) to the second person (you): Biased: Each manager should make HIS report before…. Better: Y OU should make YOUR report before….

(leo.stcloudstate.edu/style/genderbias) 4.Use the non-gender specific s/he: Biased: A child will behave calmly if he goes to be at a reasonable time. Bettah: A child will behave calmly if s/he goes to be at a reasonable time.

(leo.stcloudstate.edu/style/genderbias) 5. Alternate gender specific pronouns: she, he and his, hers.

(leo.stcloudstate.edu/style/genderbias)