Avoiding Sexism, Perhaps Excessive in Religion
May 3rd, 2014
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Avoiding being labeled as “sexist” is very important these days. The current emphasis on bias-free language has created difficulties for today’s writers. Some traditional uses of the English language that have long been the cornerstones of good writing are no longer acceptable: for example, using “he,” “him,” and “his” to refer to a male or a female (if the finder returns my watch, he will receive a reward). Because these pronouns are masculine-specific, they are now regarded as sexist.
Good writers will find ways to achieve gender-neutral language, but it may take some thought. There are gender-neutral words that were used in the past, some as long ago as the 1700s, that in later years we stopped using: for example, Read more…