Gender-Fair Writing Guidelines

by Mary Headley
February 2000

Gender-fair writing is important for any organization committed to upholding diversity standards. It reduces confusion and lessens stereotypes about men's and women's roles. Research shows that using he and man as "generic" terms still makes most readers think the information pertains only to males. If you refer to every technician as he or state that a project requires 100 man-hours, your readers will typically fail to see women in the picture.

So how can a conscientious employee write in a gender-fair way? Here are some suggestions:

Problem Description Examples of Problem Alternative Solutions

Masculine Pronouns. Although English has no generic singular pronouns, the use of he, his, and him pose problems since they exclude women.
* Optimal solutions include:
1) recasting the pronoun into the plural.
2) rewording the sentence to avoid pronouns.
3) using an article instead of a possessive pronoun.
4) using first- or second-person pronouns.
* Less fluent solutions include:
5) using double pronouns (he/she, her/his).
6) rewriting the sentence in the passive voice.
7) using plural pronouns with indefinite pronouns, such as anyone and everybody (in all but strictly formal use, this practice has become acceptable).
8) alternating male and female pronouns.
1) It would be burdensome to provide checks so that each customer can see only his own records.
2) The tool conducts a dialogue with the user, responding to his instructions to query customer records and to enter SQL statements.
3) At this point, the DBA should verify his updates.
4) The user should then append his updated tables to the database.
5) The ability to TRUNCATE session data for a given user, while another user has a DML lock against his own session data, does not function correctly as of this software release.
6) Any employee who wants to achieve a high rating should fill out his performance plan carefully.
7) Everyone cheered his team on.
8) Make sure every modeler participates in the planning process. Has he been consulted on the steps involved? Has he had a chance to voice his opinion on improvements?
1) It would be burdensome to provide checks so that customers can see only their own records.
2) The tool allows users to interactively query customer records and enter SQL statements.
3) At this point, DBAs should verify the updates.
4) You should then append your updated tables to the database.
5) The ability to TRUNCATE session data for a given user, while another user has a DML lock against his/her own session data, does not function correctly as of this software release.
6) Performance plans should be carefully filled out by employees who want to achieve a high rating.
7) Everyone cheered their team on.
8) Make sure every modeler participates in the planning process. Has he been consulted on the steps involved? Has she had a chance to voice her opinion on improvements?

Generic Use of Man. At one time, man was considered a generic term to refer to any human, but this is no longer true. Many studies confirm most people understand he to refer only to a male.

best man for job

several man-hours

man-made

best individual for the job

several staff-hours

manufactured, machine-made

Occupational Terms. Using man in an occupational term makes readers think women are incapable of holding the job. Similarly, using female variations of titles implies that it is unusual for a woman to hold the job.

chairman

businessman, salesman

police woman, lady lawyer, poetess

chair, coordinator, head

business executive, sales representative

police officer, lawyer, poet

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Problem Description	Examples of Problem	Alternative Solutions
Masculine Pronouns. Although English has no generic singular pronouns, the use of he, his, and him pose problems since they exclude women. * Optimal solutions include: 1) recasting the pronoun into the plural. 2) rewording the sentence to avoid pronouns. 3) using an article instead of a possessive pronoun. 4) using first- or second-person pronouns. * Less fluent solutions include: 5) using double pronouns (he/she, her/his). 6) rewriting the sentence in the passive voice. 7) using plural pronouns with indefinite pronouns, such as anyone and everybody (in all but strictly formal use, this practice has become acceptable). 8) alternating male and female pronouns.	1) It would be burdensome to provide checks so that each customer can see only his own records. 2) The tool conducts a dialogue with the user, responding to his instructions to query customer records and to enter SQL statements. 3) At this point, the DBA should verify his updates. 4) The user should then append his updated tables to the database. 5) The ability to TRUNCATE session data for a given user, while another user has a DML lock against his own session data, does not function correctly as of this software release. 6) Any employee who wants to achieve a high rating should fill out his performance plan carefully. 7) Everyone cheered his team on. 8) Make sure every modeler participates in the planning process. Has he been consulted on the steps involved? Has he had a chance to voice his opinion on improvements?	1) It would be burdensome to provide checks so that customers can see only their own records. 2) The tool allows users to interactively query customer records and enter SQL statements. 3) At this point, DBAs should verify the updates. 4) You should then append your updated tables to the database. 5) The ability to TRUNCATE session data for a given user, while another user has a DML lock against his/her own session data, does not function correctly as of this software release. 6) Performance plans should be carefully filled out by employees who want to achieve a high rating. 7) Everyone cheered their team on. 8) Make sure every modeler participates in the planning process. Has he been consulted on the steps involved? Has she had a chance to voice her opinion on improvements?
Generic Use of Man. At one time, man was considered a generic term to refer to any human, but this is no longer true. Many studies confirm most people understand he to refer only to a male.	best man for job several man-hours man-made	best individual for the job several staff-hours manufactured, machine-made
Occupational Terms. Using man in an occupational term makes readers think women are incapable of holding the job. Similarly, using female variations of titles implies that it is unusual for a woman to hold the job.	chairman businessman, salesman police woman, lady lawyer, poetess	chair, coordinator, head business executive, sales representative police officer, lawyer, poet