Experts in grammar recommended using the generic he as early as 1553,8 and by 1850, this preference was legally supported (he was said to stand for he and she).9 By the 1970s, however, modern linguists began questioning whether the generic use of masculine pronouns was reinforcing gender-based stereotypes.

Using gender-neutral references can be challenging at times. For instance, suppose you were giving a speech about jobs that can be held by both men and women—such as chief executive officer (CEO), nurse, and high school principal. Occasional use of he or she is fine, but frequent use gets tedious for listeners. How would you react if you heard a speaker say, “A good president keeps his or her meetings organized, listens to his or her employees, and puts his or her company’s needs first”? Happily, there are ways to work around any awkwardness with pronouns. Using plurals where appropriate can help: “Good presidents keep their meetings organized, listen to their employees, and put their company’s needs first.” Or if a singular pronoun is more appropriate for your speech, alternate the use of she and he from paragraph to paragraph or from example to example.

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Also avoid using gender-specific nouns or noun phrases, such as poetess, chairman, congressman, cleaning lady, and fireman. Instead, use a gender-neutral term—a word that does not suggest a particular gender—such as poet, chair, representative, cleaner, and firefighter.