Article: Nonsexist Alternative Language: Handbook for Conscious Writers

Some of the major forms of sexist language are:

Invisibility

Women are often invisible in language. This is due to the use of the masculine pronouns 'he', 'him', 'his' to refer to both men and women, and the use of 'man' as a noun, verb or adjective in words such as 'mankind' and 'man made'.

Dependence

Women are often portrayed in language as subordinate to men. Expressions such as 'female technician' and 'woman academic' imply that women are regarded as different in certain situations or occupations. The use of 'feminine' suffixes such as 'ette', 'ess', 'ienne' and 'trix' is unnecessary and demeaning. The inappropriate use of these titles indicates that women are viewed as subordinate to men.

Trivialization

Women/men and their activities, actions and occupations are often trivialized or denigrated in language through expressions like 'girls in the office', 'just a housewife', 'boys in the storeroom', etc.

Why You Should Use Non-Sexist Language

Non-sexist language is not intended to 'de-sex' language, but to ensure a balanced and fair representation of men and women in language. Non-sexist language increases clarity in language use by removing ambiguities, and increases accuracy by avoiding false assumptions about the nature and roles of women and men in society.

The word 'Chairman' is traditionally used at the University but not everyone is happy with this because it seems to imply exclusion of women from the role. However, people have also expressed objections to the use of ‘Chairwoman’ or ‘Chair’. People in the Chair should therefore be free to consult with their committees and to choose whichever form of address seems most appropriate to them and their colleagues.

Alternatives to 'he' and 'his'

Because English does not possess a singular, sex-indefinite pronoun, the pronouns 'he', 'his' and 'him' are frequently used as generic pronouns. As this use is both ambiguous and excludes women, try to find alternatives. (See list at top.)

Avoid personifying inanimate objects as 'he' or 'she'. The pronoun 'it' should be used to refer to inanimate nouns.

Varying Word Order

Men usually precede women in expressions such as men and women, his and hers, him and her, he and she, Sir or Madam, etc. Try reversing the word order in these expressions: women and men, hers and his, her and him, she and he, Madam or Sir, etc. Alternate the words throughout a document or verbal presentation.

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