Print View
Return

This language can offend others and also caused you not to be hired, not to be promoted, and to be fired from your job.

Sexism

Sexism is the most difficult bias to avoid, in part, because of the convention of using man or men and he or his to refer to either sex. Other, more disrespectful conventions include giving descriptions of women in terms of age and appearance while describing men in terms of accomplishments.

Replacing Man or Men
Man traditionally referred to a male or to a human in general. Using man to refer to a human is often thought to be slighting of women

Avoid This	Use This Instead
mankind, man	human beings, humans, humankind, humanity, people, society, men and women
man-made	synthetic, artificial
man in the street	average person, ordinary person

 

Using Gender-Neutral Terms for Occupations Positions, and Roles
Terms that specify a particular sex can unnecessarily perpetuate certain stereotypes when used generically

Replacing the Pronoun He
Like man, the generic use of he can be seen to exclude women.

Avoid This	Use This Instead
when a driver approaches a red light, he must prepare to stop.	When drivers approach a red light, they must prepare to stop.
When a driver approaches a red light, he or she must prepare to stop.	When a driver approaches a red light, a driver must prepare to stop.

Referring to members of both sexes with parallel names, titles, or descriptions
Don't be inconsistent unless you are trying to make a specific point.

Race, Ethnicity, and National Origin

Some words and phrases that refer to racial and ethnic groups are clearly offensive. Other word (e.g., Oriental, colored) are outdated or inaccurate. Hispanic is generally accepted as a broad term for Spanish-speaking people of the Western Hemisphere, but more specific terms (Latino, Mexican American) are also acceptable and in some cases preferred.

Avoid This	Use This Instead
Negro, colored, Afro-American	black, African-American (generally preferred to Afro-American)
Oriental, Asiatic	Asian, or more specific designation such as Pacific Islander, Chinese American, Korean
Indian	Indian properly refers to people who live in or come from India. American Indian, Native American, and more specific designations (Chinook, Hopi) are usually preferred when referring to the native peoples of the Western hemisphere
Eskimo	Inuit, Alaska Natives
native (n.)	native peoples, early inhabitants, aboriginal peoples (but not aborigines)

Age

The concept of aging is changing as people are living longer and more active lives. Be aware of word choices that reinforce stereotypes (decrepit, senile) and avoid mentioning age unless it is relevant.

Avoid This	Use This Instead
elderly, aged, old, geriatric, the elderly, the aged	older persons, senior citizen(s), older people, seniors

Avoiding Depersonalization of Persons with Disabilities or illnesses

Terminology that emphasizes the person rather than the disability is generally preferred. Handicap is used to refer to the environmental barrier that affects the person. (Stairs handicap a person who uses a wheelchair.) While words such as crazy, demented, and insane are used in facetious or informal contexts, these terms are not used to describe people with clinical diagnoses of mental illness. The euphemisms challenged, differently able, and special are preferred by some people, but are often ridiculed and are best avoided.

Avoid This	Use This Instead
Mongoloid	person with Down syndrome
wheelchair-bound	person who uses a wheelchair
AIDS sufferer, person afflicted with AIDS, AIDS victim	person living with AIDS, P.W.A., HIV + (one who tests positive for HIV but does not show symptoms of AIDS
polo victim	has/had polio
the handicapped, the disabled, crippled	persons with disabilities or person who uses crutches or more specific description
deaf-mute, deaf and dumb	deaf person

Avoiding Patronizing or Demeaning Expressions

Avoid This	Use This Instead
girls (when referring to adult women), the fair sex	women
sweetie, dear, dearie, honey	(usually not appropriate with strangers or in public situations)
old maid, bachelorette spinster	single woman, woman, divorced woman (but only if one would specify "divorced man" in the same context)
the little woman, old lady, ball and chain	wife
boy (when referring to or addressing an adult man)	man, sir

Avoiding Language That Excludes or Unnecessarily Emphasizes Differences

References to age, sex, religion, race, and the like should be included only if they are relevant.

Avoid This	Use This Instead
lawyers and their wives	lawyers and their spouses
a secretary and her boss	a secretary and boss, a secretary and his or her boss
the male nurse	the nurse
Arab man denies assault charge	Man denies assault charge
the articulate black student	the articulate student
Marie Curie was a great woman scientist	Marie Curie was a great scientist (unless the intent is to compare her only with other women in the sciences)
Christian name	given name, personal name, first name
Mr. Johnson, the black representative, met with the President today to discuss civil-rights legislation.	Mr. Johnson, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, met with the President today to discuss civil-rights legislation