How often do you use ‘his’? ‘her’? ‘his/her’? ‘he or she’?
According to the Handbook of Technical Writing (eighth edition), bias “can creep into your writing by the unthinking use of male or female pronouns where a reference could apply equally to a man or a woman” (Alred 50).
Don’t say . . .
“Every engineer will receive his paycheck after lunch.”
Instead, say . . .
“All engineers will receive their paychecks after lunch.”
Don’t say . . .
“Everyone must email her report by September 2nd.”
Instead, say . . .
“Everyone must email a report by September 2nd.”
Consider your audience, and ensure that no one is left out in your writing!
