eliminated whenever possible, and gender-neutral words like “ re ghter” should be substituted for both women and men policeman becomes police o cer.”
Along the same lines, words that include man to represent humanity collectively
(“mankind,”
manpower, words that imply males only when females are also included (founding fathers freshmen, and gender-speci c words that convey myths and attitudes that are often construed to be pejorative or outdated (“Lady
Luck,”
old wives tales, should be avoided.
Choose words and
order of words and construct words so that they will not contribute to the perpetuation of prejudice. Since it is impossible to know whether the vice president or lieutenant or senator is a woman or a man, make sure the form of address includes both possibilities and doesn’t alienate one or the other to the detriment of what is stated.
Alternatives to sexist, outdated terms include the following:
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