http://www.ck12.org Chapter 7. Tone and Style
- If the noun you are using is a profession that carries gender (eg. steward, stewardess), use the gender-free
variation (eg. flight attendant):
- All salesmen were required to attend the meeting (biased).
- Allsalespeople were required to attend the meeting (unbiased).
4.Replace the pronoun “he” with “one”, “you”, “we”, or use “he or she” (do not overuse them):
- When a student finished his exam early, he could leave the room (biased).
- When a student finishedhisorher exam early,heorshe could leave the room (unbiased).
5.Take turns using “he or she” when it does not confuse readers:
- If you are a teacher, you should ask yourself if every child in your room has been spoken to directly. Ask ifhe
has already washedhis hands, ifshe has finishedher homework. The goal is to use everyday habitual information to
start conversations.
When avoiding gender bias, use the strategies that best fit your personal style, but try not to overuse them.
Review Questions
Rewrite the sentences below and eliminate their gender bias. Refer to the strategies seen above:
- Each doctor will explain her own procedures.
- When you call the technician, tell him the computer broke yesterday.
- According to the guidelines, a writer needs to publish her manuscript in order to be eligible for the grant.
- If I ever meet a congressman, I will tell him how upset I am with politics at the national level.
- When a doctor wants to order gloves, she must speak to the office staff.
Points to Consider
- When you are not sure about the meaning of a word you want to use, how can you figure out whether or not
to use it? - What is the difference between denotative and connotative meanings?
- Name and provide examples of three different strategies to avoid gender bias.