Sexist Terms - and alternatives

This list of sexist terms shows not only what may be avoided but also how they may be avoided.

If in the company of people who are made uncomfortable by sexist terms, there is a polite and linguistically acceptable alternative in most cases. The often quoted "person aperture cover" for "man hole" is both a hoax and a parody of the intention of the language. The following are becoming increasingly accepted and mostly are no longer an issue of contention.

The following checklist of alternatives to sexist language was produced by a publisher giving advice to authors.
1. Do you agree with the premise that the "words to be avoided" are in fact sexist?
2. Do you agree that the "words to be preferred" are suitable?
3. Explain your decisions and suggest better alternatives where possible.

To be avoided	To be preferred
mankind	humanity, human beings, human race, people, humankind, humans
man's achievements	human achievements, our achievements
If a man drove 50 miles at 60 mph ...	If a person drove 50 miles at 60 mph ...
the best man for the job	the best person (or candidate) for the job
man-made	artificial, synthetic, manufactured, constructed, of,human origin
manpower	workers. workforce, staff, labour, staffing, human resources
man	people, humankind, men and women, women and men, individuals, human beings, person, the individual
man the desk	staff the desk, be at the desk
manpower planning	labour market planning, workforce planning, staff planning, workload planning
chairman	chairperson, chair, convener (don't use non-parallel terms such as 'chairman' for men and 'chairperson' or 'person chairing' for women)
headmaster	headteacher, head
policeman, fireman	police officer, fire fighter

If the gender of the person being discussed is unknown or could be female or male, there are several alternatives. One is to use 'She or he should show his/her tickets', or even "S/he should show ..." (only common on forms and questionnaires). Another is to use the plural "Customers should show their tickets" or to use the second person pronoun instead - "Please show your ticket." Use of the passive is an alternative though it may lead to less clarity - "Tickets should be shown."

It's worth pointing out that many attempts have been made to devise new and neutral pronouns, though none has become common. S/he is possibly the nearest to popularity.

Spivak gender
The idea behind Spivak gender is to replace our current set of gendered pronouns with a genderless set. This provides a degree of vagueness about identity and sexual orientation conducive to more adventurous e-mail postings.

A proposed set of "Spivak gender" pronouns includes "e, em, eir, eirs, eirself, sie." In Spivak-speak, "She talks to herself,' would become "Sie talks to eirself," "sie" being a substitute for both "he" and "she."

Do not assume that the male should always come first, so alternate she and he, hers and his, wives and husbands.

Neutral 'spouse' and 'sibling' may be preferable in some cases to husband and wife, sister and brother.

see also women's language.