Gender neutral writing

“Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no man has gone before!” Captain James T. Kirk 

Sorry, Captain Kirk! You can’t use “man” anymore – it’s 2020!

Gender-neutral language has become standard practice in both journalistic and academic writing, and is also normal in TV, series, films, etc.

For example, “Mr.” is used to refer to any man, single, married, divorced, or widowed. But “Mrs.” and “Miss” define women as married or single, usually defining their relationship with men. A good alternative when addressing a woman is “Ms.” – pronounced “miz” – since it doesn’t indicate marital status.

English doesn’t have a general and globally accepted pronoun when you want to use a gender-neutral third-person singular pronoun that refers to people. Up to now, the general rule was to use masculine pronouns – he, his, him – by default. This is outdated and considered offensive by many. So, what to do?

You can:

1. 1. Use more than one pronoun – he/she; him/her; his/hers. But this can get repetitive and uncomfortable.
   2. Alternate genders and pronouns – use the masculine pronouns sometimes, and the female pronouns other times. But this only works in certain situations and can also be confusing.

• Use “they” as a singular pronoun. This is rapidly becoming more and more common.

The third option is gaining traction in speaking and non-formal writing, and it is the option we recommend. Lexicographers have determined that the use of “they” as a gender-neutral pronoun goes back to the 1300s. The Washington Post and other publications allow the use of “they” as a gender-neutral pronoun.

Now it’s “To boldly go where no one has gone before!”