The following is a summary of the NCTE Guidelines revised in 2002, by Women in Literacy and Life Assembly (WILLA). The complete document is available from the GenderBender screen of the myWriterTools program, or by clicking here.
Word choices often reflect unconscious assumptions about gender roles. As professionals, we all need to examine our language to reduce or eliminate choices that silence, stereotype, or constrain others.
1. The Pseudo-Generic He and His: Creating Gender Balance
A. The use of he or his when referring to both a female and a male excludes the female. To be inclusive, writers and presenters must use both he and she, and they must consciously balance pronoun use by sometimes reversing their order.
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Revised |
| If a student studies hard, he will succeed. |
If a student studies hard, he or she will succeed. |
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Students who study hard will succeed. |
B. Sometimes it is possible to drop the possessive form his altogether or to substitute an article.
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Revised |
| The average student is worried about his grades. |
The average student is worried about grades. |
C. Often, it makes sense to use the plural instead of the singular.
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Revised |
| Give the student his grade right away. |
Give the students their grades right away. |
D. The first- or second-person pronoun can sometimes be substituted for the third person.
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Revised |
| As a teacher, he faces excessive paperwork daily. |
As teachers, we face excessive paperwork daily. |
E. In some situations, the form one/one's can be substituted for he/his, but this construction should be used sparingly to avoid changing the tone of the writing.
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Revised |
| He might wonder what his response should be. |
One might wonder what one's response should be. |
F. A sentence with he or his can sometimes be recast in the passive voice. Although the passive voice has been much maligned, it has a valid function if not overused.
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Revised |
| Each student should hand in his paper promptly. |
Papers should be handed in promptly. |
G. A sentence with he or his can be recast by substituting a participial phrase for a clause.
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Revised |
| Listen to the two-year-old as he uses his short, simple sentences to communicate. |
Listen to the two-year-old using short, simple sentences to communicate. |
H. When the subject is an indefinite pronoun, a number of options exist.
- Recast the sentence to avoid using the indefinite pronoun.
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Revised |
| When everyone contributes his own ideas, the discussion will be a success. |
When all the students contribute their own ideas, the discussion will be a success. |
- Use both pronouns (he or she; her or his). >
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Revised |
| When everyone contributes his own ideas, the discussion will be a success. |
When everyone contributes her or his own ideas, the discussion will be a success. |
- Use the plural pronoun when the indefinite referent is clearly understood to be plural.
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Revised |
| When everyone contributes his own ideas, the discussion will be a success. |
When everyone contributes their own ideas, the discussion will be a success. |
- Use of the singular they/their form. This construction is becoming increasingly acceptable. However, classroom teachers need to be aware that state and/or national assessments may not regard this construction as correct.
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Revised |
| When everyone contributes his own ideas, the discussion will be a success. |
When everyone contributes their own ideas, the discussion will be a success. |
| Does each student have his book? |
Does each student have their book? |
2. The Pseudo-Generic Man: Creating Gender Balance
A. Like the pseudo-generic form he, the use of the word man to represent both women and men excludes women, and it minimalizes their contributions and their worth as human beings. To make language more inclusive:
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Revised |
| mankind |
humanity, human beings |
| man's achievements |
human achievements |
| man the ticket booth |
staff the ticket booth |
B. When describing a job or career both men and women might perform, avoid using a combined term that specifies gender.
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Revised |
| chairman/chairwoman |
chair, chairperson |
| policeman/policewoman |
police officer |
| mailman |
postal worker |
3. Titles, Labels, and Names: Promoting Gender Equity
The titles used to name people and occupations often reflect inequitable assumptions about males and females. Gender-fair language promotes more inclusive and equitable representations of both females and males, opening possibilities rather than restricting choices
a. Identify men and women in the same way. Diminutive or special forms to name women are usually unnecessary. In most cases, generic terms such as doctor, judge, or actor include both genders. Only occasionally are alternate forms needed, and in these cases, the alternate form replaces both the masculine and the feminine titles.
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Revised |
| stewardess |
flight attendant |
| authoress |
author |
| male nurse |
nurse |
| woman doctor |
doctor |
Note: If the gender of a professional is important to a person seeking professional assistance, exceptions may occur. For example, a woman may prefer to visit a gynecologist who is a female. In such cases, the effects of gender labeling can be mitigated by changing the gender-laden descriptor to a noun, emphasizing the professional title, and de-emphasizing gender, i. e., a woman who is a doctor rather than woman doctor; a male who is a nurse rather than male nurse.
B. Seek alternatives to language that omits, patronizes, or trivializes women, as well as to language that reinforces stereotyped images of both women and men.
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Revised |
| I'll have my girl do that job. |
I'll ask my assistant (or secretary) to do that job. |
| The ladies on the committee all supported the bill. |
The women on the committee supported the bill. |
| This is a man-sized job. |
This is a complex (huge, enormous, difficult) job. |
C. Treat women and men in a parallel manner.
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Revised |
| The reading list included Jane Austen, Joyce, Proust, and Virginia Woolf. |
The reading list included Austen, Joyce, Proust, and Woolf (or Jane Austen, James Joyce, Marcel Proust, and Virginia Woolf). |
| The steward seated Mr. Clinton and his lovely wife Hillary. |
The steward seated Mr. and Mrs. Clinton. |
D. Use courtesy titles that promote gender equity. Courtesy titles that label a woman in regard to her relationship to a man (her marital status) or forms of address that depict a woman as the mere appendage of her husband trivialize women or render them invisible.
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Revised |
| Miss, Mrs. |
Ms. |
| Mrs. Michael Webber |
Ms. Olivia Webber |
Note: The use of Ms.
Too often, people substitute Ms. for Miss and keep using Mrs. for married women, defeating the original purpose of adopting Ms. to create an equitable form of address for all women regardless of marital status. Use Ms. for married as well as unmarried women.
E. Do not label athletic teams according to gender.
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Revised |
| girl pitcher or lady pitcher |
pitcher |
| the Lady Cardinals |
the Cardinals |
4. Gender Stereotypes: Strategies for Reducing Negative Effects
Gender stereotypes limit and trivialize both females and males, presenting an inaccurate view of the world and its possibilities. Such misrepresentations constrain communication.
A. Do not represent certain jobs or roles as only appropriate for, or held by, women or men, i.e., farmers are men and elementary teachers are women. Doing so makes gender-based assumptions. When referring to a job or role, use a gender-specific pronoun only if the gender of the person is known.
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Revised |
| Dear Mothers, Please bake cookies for our class party. |
Dear Families, Please bake cookies for our class party. |
| NCTE convention attendees and their wives are invited. |
NCTE convention attendees and their guests are invited. |
B. Do not represent females and males as possessing stereotypic gendered attributes. For example, do not always imply that:
- girls are timid and boys are brave
- males are admired for their accomplishments and women for their physical attributes
- females are passive and males are active.
5. Textual Citations: Reducing the Effects of Language That Is Not Gender-Fair
When citing from texts, make a choice whether to use a directly stated passage or a paraphrase of the wording. Quoted passages cannot be altered, but there are a number of options for making language more inclusive when passages are dated and/or contain nonequitable language.
a. Recast the material, changing a direct quotation into a paraphrase that fits the sense of the discussion and retains the original author's intent and idea.
b. Point out the gender-biased nature of the passage to defuse its power. Thomas Jefferson stated, "All men are created equal." Of course, had he written during current times, he surely would have said all people are created equal.
c. Make substantial revisions or deletions when language is gender-biased or when stereotyped assumptions about males and females pervade a passage.
d. If none of these options work, consider avoiding the passage altogether whenever doing so does not detract from the writing's content, tone, or purpose.
6. Implications of the Guidelines
a. Balancing the Representation of Females and Males
As important as language is, making minor changes in vocabulary and usage to achieve gender fairness is virtually futile if underlying assumptions about gender restrict the people represented in texts to traditional roles. Simply changing cavemen to cave dweller or actress to actor will do little to promote gender fairness when female voices are absent or underrepresented in texts. Attempts must be made to provide gender balance through the careful selection of materials.
- A balance of literature by and about both women and men should be included whenever possible.
- Materials should be chosen to emphasize gender equity and to show males and females in traditional and nontraditional roles.
- Noninclusive texts and classic pieces can provide a focus for discussion of gender roles and gender equity. They should be placed in proper historical context and should be balanced by other texts that show gender-fair roles and assumptions.
- Trade books, texts, videos, and other media resources should be chosen to show females and males actively participating in a variety of situations at home, work, or play.
- In organizing lists of materials and educational activities, avoid separation by gender. Choose headings and activities that do not assume stereotypic male and female interests. For example, use categories such as exploration or friendship rather than books for boys or women's videos. Avoid promoting competition of girls against boys, i.e., girls vs. boys in a spelling bee; a debate with males taking one side of the issue, females the other. Avoid assuming gendered interests and abilities, i.e., girls decorate the bulletin board, boys boot up the computer, girls are cheerleaders, boys play sports.
- Present gender-equitable examples by alternating male and female names and by avoiding the use of stereotyped
gender roles. When discussing roles traditionally held by males, use examples of females in those roles; use examples of males in roles traditionally held by females.
b. Promoting Gender-Fair Discourse Practices
- Praise, encourage, and respond to contributions of females and males equally.
- Call on females as often as males to answer both factual and complex questions.
- Create a classroom atmosphere where females are not interrupted by others more often than males.
- Establish collaborative groups composed of both males and females to provide opportunities for all voices to be heard.
- Value intellect; avoid references to appearance and physical attributes.
- Choose females for leadership positions as often as males.
- Avoid comments or humor that demean or stereotype males or females.
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