Thoughtful writers try to avoid harmful bias in language. They respect their readers and don’t want to insult them, anger them, or impede communication. You may not be able to eliminate discrimination from society, but you can eliminate discriminatory language in your writing. Be on the lookout for words that insult or stereotype individuals or groups by gender, age, race, ethnic origin, sexual preference, or religion.

Decades ago American feminists challenged the male bias built into the English language. Why, they asked, do we talk about prehistoric man, manpower, and the brotherhood of man, when by man we mean the entire human race? Why do we focus attention on the gender of an accomplished woman by calling her a poetess or a lady doctor? Why does a letter to a corporation have to begin “Gentlemen:”? On the other hand, to substitute “Everyone prefers their own customs” for “Everyone prefers his own customs” replaces sexism with bad grammar. Although there are no perfect solutions, sensitive writers try to minimize the sexist constraints of English.

Try substituting human for man or a word starting with man.

If the result weighs down the sentence, look for a more graceful solution.

Similarly, you need not simply replace the ending -man with -person. Instead, think about meaning and find a truly neutral synonym.

Replace the singular with the plural (they and their for he and his).

You can make your language more bias-free by omitting pronouns and other words that needlessly indicate gender.

Also treat men and women equally in terms of description or title.

A responsible writer does not call women chicks, babes, woman drivers, or any other names that imply that they are not to be taken seriously. Nor should an employee ever be called a girl or boy. Avoid terms that put down individuals or groups because of age (old goat, the grannies), race or ethnicity (Indian giver, Chinaman’s chance), or disability (gimpy, handicapped).

When describing a group, try to use the label or term that its members prefer, even if it is difficult to determine.

Sometimes a stereotype is linked to a title. Aside from obvious exceptions, never assume that all the members of a group are of the same gender.

Avoid stereotyping individuals or groups, negatively or positively.

Ms. is the preferred title of polite address for women because, like Mr. for men, it does not indicate marital status. Use Miss or Mrs. only if you know that the woman prefers this form. If a woman holds a doctorate, professional office, or position with a title, use that title rather than Ms.