Men and women should be treated primarily as people, and not primarily as members of opposite sexes. Their shared humanity and common attributes should be stressed—not their gender difference. Neither sex should be stereotyped or arbitrarily assigned to a leading or secondary role.
"Guidelines for Equal Treatment of the Sexes,"
McGraw-Hill Book Company Publications
Avoid sexist and stereotypical language, or language that may be construed as such:
- Gender references built into words: Instead of "chairman," use "chairperson" or "chair"; in place of "waitress," use "server."
- Generalized personal pronouns: Instead of "Everyone will do his part," make it "...his or her part." Better yet, try to restructure the sentence to avoid having to use a long possessive like "his or her": "All will do their parts." ("Everyone will do their part" is still considered grammatically incorrect, although this usage is clearly undergoing change.)
Edit for inadvertent slurs or unnecessary references to race, color, nationality, locale, religion, marital or parental status, physical or mental condition, economic status, gender and gender attributes, sexual preference, or age.
