17e Avoid sexist language.
Sexist language is language that stereotypes or demeans women or men. Using nonsexist language is a matter of courtesy—of respect for and sensitivity to the feelings of others.
Recognizing sexist language
Some sexist language is easy to recognize because it reflects genuine contempt for women: referring to a woman as a “chick,” for example, or calling a lawyer a “lady lawyer.”
Other forms of sexist language are less blatant. The following practices reflect stereotypical thinking: referring to members of one profession as exclusively male or exclusively female (teachers as women or engineers as men, for instance) or using different conventions when naming or identifying women and men.
STEREOTYPICAL LANGUAGE
After a nursing student graduates, she must face a difficult state board examination. [Not all nursing students are women.]
Running for city council are Boris Stotsky, an attorney, and Mrs. Cynthia Jones, a professor of English and mother of three. [The title Mrs. and the phrase mother of three are irrelevant.]
Sometimes sexist language arises from the practice of using the pronouns he, him, and his to refer generically to persons of either sex.
GENERIC PRONOUNS
A journalist is motivated by his deadline.
A good interior designer treats her clients’ ideas respectfully.
Both sentences are sexist—for excluding one sex entirely and for making assumptions about the members of a particular profession.
Similarly, terms including man and men were once used to refer generically to persons of either sex. Current usage demands gender-neutral terms for references to both men and women.
|
INAPPROPRIATE |
APPROPRIATE |
|---|---|
|
chairman |
chairperson, moderator, chair, head |
|
congressman |
representative, legislator |
|
fireman |
firefighter |
|
to man |
to operate, to staff |
|
mankind |
people, humans |
|
manpower |
personnel, staff |
|
policeman |
police officer |
Revising sexist language
When revising sexist language, some writers substitute he or she and his or her. This strategy is wordy and can become awkward when repeated throughout an essay. Also, some readers may think he or she and his or her exclude transgender individuals. Other writers alternate female pronouns (she, her, hers) with male pronouns, a strategy that can confuse readers. A more effective revision strategy is to use plural nouns and pronouns or to rewrite the sentence to avoid problems with sexist or noninclusive language. Yet another strategy might be to use the plural pronouns they and them, gender-neutral options, to refer to all nouns, including singular nouns: A journalist is motivated by their deadline. (You may want to check with your instructor for any preferences.)
SEXIST
- A journalist is motivated by his deadline.
- A good interior designer treats her clients’ ideas respectfully.
BETTER: USING THE PLURAL
- Journalists are motivated by their deadlines.
- Good interior designers treat their clients’ ideas respectfully.
BETTER: REVISING THE SENTENCE
- A journalist is motivated by a deadline.
- A good interior designer treats clients’ ideas respectfully.
For more examples of these revision strategies, see 23.
Exercise 17–1
Edit the following sentences to eliminate sexist language and sexist assumptions. Possible revisions appear in the back of the book.
Mrs. Geralyn Farmer, who is the mayor’s wife, is the chief surgeon at University Hospital. Dr. Paul Green is her assistant.
Every applicant wants to know how much he will earn.
An elementary school teacher should understand the concept of nurturing if she intends to be effective.
An obstetrician needs to be available to his patients at all hours.
If man does not stop polluting his environment, mankind will perish.