Grammatically, English actually has very few gender markers. Some nouns are gendered; so are some pronouns and possessives, and some forms of address. But what if the people you’re talking about don’t belong to that gender, or to either gender at all? This is an opportunity to incorporate gender-neutral language into your writing. So what is gender-neutral language? Gender-neutral language is language that avoids bias against a particular sex or gender.
Why use gender-neutral language? Well, language matters. I bet you could think about some words that you cannot say in certain company. You can also, I imagine, think of words that have been used to offend, to discriminate against, and to oppress. What we say and how we say it matters. Your words have the power to include a diverse audience or set the boundaries of the conversation by leaving some people out. Using gender-neutral language demonstrates your commitment to inclusion. And gender-neutral language better represents how people identify today. A 2018 Pew research report showed that 25% of millennials and 35% of Gen Zers knew someone who uses gender-neutral pronouns, such as “they.”
Let’s start with nouns. Most English nouns do not have grammatical gender forms, for example teacher or president. Words ending in man are the most commonly used gendered nouns in English. These words are easy to spot and replace with more neutral language. For example, instead of the gendered noun “mankind,” you can use the words “people” or “humanity” or “human beings.” Instead of the gendered “freshman,” you can also use the words “first-year student.” Some nouns that once ended in “man,” for example “fireman,” have neutral equivalents that are used to include all genders, for example “firefighter.”
Now let’s talk about pronouns and possessive pronouns. English offers no widely accepted pronoun choice for gender-neutral third person singular nouns that refer to people. You cannot call a person “it.” The case is similar with possessives. Until somewhat recently, in the sentence, “Every student must submit his assignment by the due date,” the masculine possessive “his” would be used to refer to any student in a group that may include male, female, and gender nonbinary people. However, in today’s linguistic context, it not only makes your writing sound outdated, but it also is exclusionary of female and gender nonbinary people — that is, people whose gender identity does not conform to the gender binary.
Instead, try making nouns and pronouns plural. Here’s an example of a sentence that can easily be rephrased: “a student on Zoom can turn his camera off.” The revised sentence would be: “students on Zoom can turn their cameras off.” Another option is to use “they” as a singular pronoun, as we’ll discuss in a future video.
Let’s now tackle those gendered forms of address. When referring to or addressing specific individuals, use forms that are consistent with their gender identity. Look up the person online. Do any of their professional websites include gender pronoun preference? Are they listed as “Mr.,” “Ms.,” “Dr.”? If the person appears as “Ms.” on professional websites, that is the form of address that should be used and feminine pronouns are appropriate. Alternatively, if the situation permits, you may ask the person you’re addressing or writing about what pronoun and form of address they prefer. Never make any assumptions about a preferred form of address or pronoun. If you are unsure, try to always err on the side of gender neutrality.
Gender-neutral language shows respect for your audience and for the people you are writing about. Pay attention to the many opportunities to use gender-neutral language in your writing today.
View the Full series:
FAQs
For example, instead of the gendered noun “mankind,” you can use the words “people” or “humanity” or “human beings.” Instead of the gendered “freshman,” you can also use the words “first-year student.” Some nouns that once ended in “man,” for example “fireman,” have neutral equivalents that are used to include all ...
What do you mean by gender-neutral language? ›
Gender-neutral language is a generic term covering the use of non-sexist language, inclusive language or gender-fair language. The purpose of gender-neutral language is to avoid word choices which may be interpreted as biased, discriminatory or demeaning by implying that one sex or social gender is the norm.
What are grammatically genderless languages? ›
Genderless languages include all the Kartvelian languages (including Georgian), some Indo-European languages (such as English, Bengali, Persian and Armenian), all the Uralic languages (such as Hungarian, Finnish and Estonian), all the modern Turkic languages (such as Turkish, Tatar, and Kazakh), Chinese, Japanese, ...
What are gender-neutral pronouns in grammar? ›
They/them/theirs (“Shea ate their food because they were hungry.”) This is a pretty common gender-neutral pronoun and it can be used in the singular. Singular “they” is not a new concept to English speakers – singular they is often used if we do not know the person we are talking about (“Who called you?
What is gender-neutral language in academic writing? ›
Either “he” or “she” as a generic third-person singular pronoun to refer to people of all genders. The combined “he or she”, unless you want to highlight gender for a specific reason. Avoid combination terms like “(s)he” and “s/he”, which can be distracting.
What is the best example of gender-neutral language? ›
ladies and gentlemen or men and women. Avoid unnecessarily gendered language. There are ways to be gender-neutral and inclusive. You could use everyone or all instead of men and women and distinguished guests or folks instead of ladies and gentlemen.
Is English a gender-neutral language? ›
Most English nouns do not have grammatical gender forms, for example teacher or president. Words ending in man are the most commonly used gendered nouns in English.
What are the 4 types of gender? ›
What are the four types of genders? The four genders are masculine, feminine, neuter, and common.
Is English a grammatically gendered language? ›
Modern English lacks grammatical gender in the sense of all noun classes requiring masculine, feminine, or neuter inflection or agreement; however, it does retain features relating to natural gender with particular nouns and pronouns (such as woman, daughter, husband, uncle, he and she) to refer specifically to persons ...
What is an example of gendered language? ›
Another example of gendered language is the way the titles “Mr.,” “Miss,” and “Mrs.” are used. “Mr.” can refer to any man, regardless of whether he is single or married, but “Miss” and “Mrs.” define women by whether they are married, which until quite recently meant defining them by their relationships with men.
A neuter gender noun is a noun that denotes a lifeless thing. A thing which is neither male nor female. For example Pen, pencil, book, bed, etc.
How to greet a non-binary person? ›
Greetings that include gender neutral language such as “friends, folks, y'all, you all, and everyone” ensure that you include all employees when saying hello or opening a meeting.
What is the most gender-neutral pronoun? ›
"They" and "ze" are some of the more common forms of gender-neutral pronouns.
What is an example of a gender-neutral sentence? ›
“People usually eat at least two times a day.” This encompasses people from both genders, not just one. That makes it gender neutral. “Lots of us enjoy that TV program every night.” “Most of the early Americans came from Europe.” are a couple of other examples.
What is the argument for gender-neutral language? ›
For reasons like those above, supporters of gender-neutral language argue that linguistic clarity as well as equality would be better served by having man and men refer unambiguously to males, and human(s) or people to all persons; similarly, the word mankind replaced by humankind or humanity.
What is a neutral gender example? ›
A neuter gender noun is a noun that denotes a lifeless thing. A thing which is neither male nor female. For example Pen, pencil, book, bed, etc.
What is an example of gender language? ›
Another example of gendered language is the way the titles “Mr.,” “Miss,” and “Mrs.” are used. “Mr.” can refer to any man, regardless of whether he is single or married, but “Miss” and “Mrs.” define women by whether they are married, which until quite recently meant defining them by their relationships with men.
