Saturday, September 2, 2017

Avoid Sexist Language

To avoid sexist language that favors one gender, use words that are gender-neutral.

According to Linda Elizabeth Alexander, biased language can alienate any potential reader. If you alienate your readers, you lose credibility. Without their faith in your words, you have lost your audience and cannot make your argument. Therefore, avoiding sexism in your writing benefits everyone. Here are some tips for avoiding common mistakes regarding sexist language.

The use of a masculine pronoun (he, him) to refer to both genders is offensive to many people. Also, using terms such as "man" to define people can often be confusing - are you referring only to "men" or to "all people"? The easiest and best way to get around this is to rewrite the sentence in the plural, or avoid using a pronoun altogether.

Example:
Poor: A teacher must communicate clearly with her students.
Better: Teachers must communicate clearly with their students.


Avoid the use of "s/he" as a substitute for a proper pronoun. Although some have proposed the use of "s/he" as a substitute for "he or she," "s/he" is not a word and is awkward to pronounce.

Example:
Poor: The successful lawyer will shepardize all cases cited in a memo. S/he also will avoid quoting from headnotes.
Better: Successful lawyers will shepardize all cases cited in a memo. They also will avoid quoting from headnotes.


Don't assume that a particular job is filled by a particular gender. Female construction workers or female engineers are plentiful, and male nurses and office assistants are common.

Example:
Poor: The executive cannot do his job properly until he understands how.
Better: Executives cannot do their jobs properly until they understand how.


Usually, it's best to talk about "mail carriers" instead of mailmen, "flight attendants" instead of stewardesses, and "police officers" instead of policemen. Nevertheless, certain job titles refer to both men and women ("lineman" for example).

Do not go overboard; however, or become confusing by using awkward terms. Common sense will inform you that "sales associates" will work for sales women and salesmen, and "chair" can be used for forms of "chairman/woman/person."



Exercise. Make the following sentences gender-neutral:
1. The average employee is concerned about the quality of his work.
2. Anyone who wants to sign up for the seminar should bring his ID.
3. See your floor supervisor, and he will explain the new procedure.
4. The chairman started the meeting at 9:00 a.m.


See answers below...





Answers:
1. Average employees are concerned about the quality of their work. [use plural]
2. If you are interested in signing up for the seminar, please bring your ID. [address reader directly]
3. See your floor supervisor, and the supervisor will explain the procedure. [repeat title]
4. The chairperson started the meeting at 9:00 a.m. [use alternative word]



References:
http://www.enursescribe.com/avoidsexist.htm
http://ualr.edu/owl/avoidsexistlanguage.htm
http://www.basic-learning.com
http://www.kentlaw.edu/academics/lrw/grinker/LwtaGender_Neutral_Language.htm



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