Gender exclusive language discriminates on the basis of gender. It consists of words or phrases that focus on one gender unnecessarily, thereby excluding the other gender. Writers should, whenever reasonable, substitute gender inclusive language, which consists of words and phrases which include both genders.

The following paragraph contains many examples of gender exclusive language. Read the paragraph carefully and rewrite it, changing the gender exclusive language to gender inclusive (or gender neutral) language. Then click the submit button to compare your revision to the sample revision.

Gender Exclusive Language - Sample Paragraph:
If an insurance man contacts a family after the unexpected death of the husband, one of the first questions he may hear is, "Where is his insurance policy?" The insurance man knows that when a father dies, the meaning of life insurance suddenly becomes crystal clear. No one, at that time, asks what a man's return is on his investment. The bottom line is that life insurance provides cash when a man and his family really need it. I tell the husband that the amount his loved ones receive depends on him. I also tell him that if he gives proper attention to this matter now, few financial problems will ensue after his death.

Gender Exclusive Language - Revised Paragraph:
In the following paragraph, the revisions appear in italic.

If an insurance agent contacts a family after the unexpected death of a family member, one of the first questions he or she may hear is, "Where is the life insurance policy?" The agent knows that when a client dies, the meaning of life insurance becomes crystal clear. No one, at that time, asks what a person's return is on an investment. The bottom line is that life insurance provides cash when clients and their families really need it. I tell the client that the amount his or her loved ones receive depends on him or her. I also tell the client that if he or she gives proper attention to this matter now, few financial problems will ensue after death.

Explanation of Paragraph Revisions:
In the revised paragraph, the use of the term "insurance man" presents a problem of assumed gender. Since insurance representatives may be male or female, this term has been changed to "insurance agent" or "agent." The pronoun "he" which refers to "insurance man" has been changed to "he or she" in reference to the new gender neutral antecedent, "insurance agent." Likewise, since purchasers of insurance policies may be husbands, wives, or unmarried adults of either gender, "the husband" has been changed to the phrase "a family member," which includes the various categories which may describe a policy holder. The pronoun "his," referring to "husband," has been changed to "his or her" in reference to the new gender inclusive antecedent, "family member."

The substitution of an article, "the," for the pronoun "his" in the original phrase "his life insurance policy" is an example of another strategy for eliminating gender exclusive language: substituting an article for a gender exclusive pronoun. This approach also helps to eliminate a profusion of the phrase "his or her," which may result when students try to change gender exclusive pronouns to gender inclusive language.

In the second sentence, the word "father," which refers to the policyholder, is changed to "client," which includes both male and female policyholders who may or may not be parents. Similarly, "client" is substituted for "man" in subsequent sentences, and it is substituted for "husband" in the fifth sentence for the same reason that "husband" was changed to "a family member" in the opening sentence. In the third sentence, sine "man's" and "his" do not include policy holders of both genders, "person's" has been substituted for "man," and the article "an" has been substituted for the gender exclusive pronoun. In the fourth sentence, the singular "a man" and "his" are changed to the plural words "clients" and "their families" instead of a "man or woman" and "his or her." The substitution of a plural pronoun for a singular, gender-exclusive pronoun is a good way to eliminate gender exclusive language while maintaining good style.

The pronouns referring to "client" are "his or her" and "he or she," since "client" includes both genders. However, in the last sentence, the pronoun "his" is not changed to "his or her." Instead, it is deleted. This is another good strategy which both eliminates a gender exclusive word and limits the number of "his or her" phrases which can appear in a paragraph.

Gender Exclusive Pronouns
Gender exclusive pronouns are a particularly common problem. These pronouns refer unnecessarily to only one gender, thereby excluding the other gender. Writers should avoid using pronouns which exclude one sex unnecessarily. Instead, they should substitute language which is gender inclusive, whenever possible. There are at least six main strategies for revising gender exclusive pronouns:

A. Substitute a plural pronoun for the gender exclusive pronoun
B. Delete the gender exclusive pronoun
C. Substitute first or second person for third person
D. Revise the sentence to change the subject
E. Use "he or she" sparingly
F. Substitute an article for the masculine or feminine pronoun

The following screens contain examples of each strategy.

Six Strategies for Solving Gender Exclusive Pronoun Problems

Strategy A:

Substitute a plural pronoun for the gender exclusive noun or pronoun.

Example:
Original Sentence: Although a doctor is busy, he should always answer his patient's questions.

Problem:
The use of "he" overlooks the fact that "a doctor" could be either male or female. Since there is no reference to any specific male doctor, the pronoun "he" excludes one gender unnecessarily.

Solution:
Substitute a plural pronoun for "he."

Revised Sentence:
Although doctors are busy, they should always answer their patients' questions.

Strategy B:

Delete the gender exclusive pronoun.

Example:
Original Sentence: A good lawyer uses his analytical ability.

Problem:
The use of "his" overlooks the fact that "a good lawyer" could be either male or female. Since there is no reference to any specific male lawyer, the pronoun "his" excludes one gender unnecessarily.

Solution:
Delete the gender exclusive pronoun..

Revised Sentence:
A good lawyer uses analytical ability.

Strategy C:

Substitute a gender neutral first or second person pronoun for a third person gender exclusive pronoun.

Example:
Original Sentence: A careful student budgets her time.

Problem:
The use of "her" overlooks the fact that "a careful student" could be either male or female. Since there is no reference to any specific female student, the pronoun "her" excludes one gender unnecessarily.

Solution:
Substitute a gender neutral first or second person word for "her."

Revised Sentence: As a careful student, you should budget your time.

Strategy D:

Revise the sentence to change its subject.

Example:
Original Sentence: A good salesperson makes sure she keeps her customers happy.

Problem:
The use of the pronoun "she" overlooks the fact that salespersons can be males or female. Since there is not reference to any specific female salesperson, the pronoun "she" excludes one gender unnecessarily.

Solution:
Revise the sentence to change its subject, thereby eliminating the gender exclusive pronoun.

Revised Sentence: Keeping customers happy is an important part of being a good salesperson.

Strategy E:

Use "he or she" (never s/he or he/she) sparingly.

Example:
Original Sentence: A teacher's success depends on whether she communicates effectively.

Problem:
The use of the pronoun "she" overlooks the fact that "a teacher" could be either male or female. Since there is no reference to any specific teacher, the pronoun "she" excludes one gender unnecessarily.

Solution:
Revise the sentence to substitute "he or she" for the gender exclusive pronoun "she."

Revised Sentence: A teacher's success depends on whether he or she communicates effectively.

Strategy F:

Substitute an article for the masculine or feminine pronoun.

Example:
Original Sentence: Every student should bring his text to class.

Problem:
The use of the pronoun "his" overlooks the existence of both male and female students. Since there is no reference to any specific male student, the pronoun "his" excludes one gender unnecessarily.

Solution:
Revise the sentence to substitute an article for "his."

Revised Sentence: Every student should bring the text to class