Fighting the Non-Sexist Language Battleby Tracy Bourns |
Sexist language consists of various words and terms that foster stereotypes of social roles based on gender; chairman and workman's compensation are two examples.
Status quo debaters argue that the English language has struggled along fine with the language as it is, so why should we change now?... Don't we have better things to discuss than the masculine bias of language?
Below are some pragmatic reasons why we need to change our language, followed by some suggestions on how to do it.
Here are some suggestions:
wrong: Engineers work long hours and thus neglect their wives and children.
right: Engineers work long hours and thus neglect their families.
wrong: Once his/her selection is highlighted, he/she can press the mouse button. He/she can continue to make other selections...
right: Once your selection is highlighted, press the mouse button. You can continue to make other selections...
Replacing "his/he/her/she" with "you" or "your" not only removes confusion, it also reduces the length of the sentence.
ex: The members of the board may take their time reviewing the points below.
Or, if you know the group is entirely male or female, address them as such.
ex: Each board member may take his time reviewing the summary of events.
The above are a few simple tips to help you avoid using sexist language. The motivation to use them, however, is your own.
Tracy Bourns is a technical writer at IMAPRO.