Bias-Free Writing

Bias-Free Language

Excerpted from Bryan A. Garner, The Chicago Guide to Grammar, Usage, and Punctuation (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2016), 324–328.

435 Maintaining credibility. Discussions of bias-free language—language that is neither sexist nor suggestive of other conscious or subconscious prejudices—have a way of descending quickly into politics. But there is a way to avoid the political quagmire: if we focus solely on maintaining credibility with a wide readership, the argument for eliminating bias from your writing becomes much simpler. Biased language that is not central to the meaning of the work distracts readers, and in their eyes the work is less credible. Few texts warrant the deliberate display of linguistic biases. Nor is it ideal, however, to call attention to a supposed absence of linguistic biases since this will also distract readers and weaken credibility.

436 Gender bias. Consider the issue of gender-neutral language. On the one hand, a great many reasonable readers find it unacceptable to use the generic masculine pronoun (he in reference to no one in particular). On the other hand, it is unacceptable to a great many readers (often different readers) either to resort to nontraditional gimmicks to avoid the generic masculine (by using he/she or s/he, for example) or to use they as a kind of singular pronoun (but see §442). Either approach sacrifices credibility with some readers.

437 Other biases. The same is true of other types of biases, such as slighting allusions or stereotypes based on characteristics such as race, ethnicity, disability, religion, sexual orientation, transgender status, or birth or family status. Careful writers avoid language that reasonable readers might find offensive or distracting—unless the biased language is central to the meaning of the writing.

438 Invisible gender-neutrality. What is wanted is a kind of invisible gender-neutrality. There are many ways to achieve this invisibly gender-neutral language, but it takes some thought and often some hard work.

439 Techniques for achieving gender-neutrality. Nine methods are suggested below because no single method will work for every writer or in every context. Choose the combination of methods that works best in the context you’ve created.

1. Omit the pronoun. Sometimes a personal pronoun is not really necessary. For instance, in the programmer should update the records when data is transferred to her by the head office, if there is only one programmer, the pronoun phrase to her can be omitted: the programmer should update the records when data is transferred by the head office. Note that the shorter sentence is tighter as well as gender-free.
2. Repeat the noun. If a noun and its pronoun are separated by many words, try repeating the noun. For instance, a writer should be careful not to needlessly antagonize readers because her credibility would otherwise suffer becomes a writer should be careful not to needlessly antagonize readers because the writer’s credibility would otherwise suffer. Take care not to overuse this technique. Repeating a noun too frequently will irritate readers. If you have to repeat a noun more than twice in a sentence or repeat it too closely, you should probably rewrite the sentence.
3. Use a plural antecedent. By using a plural antecedent, you eliminate the need for a singular pronoun. For instance, a contestant must conduct himself with dignity at all times becomes contestants must conduct themselves with dignity at all times. The method may cause a slight change in connotation. In the example, a duty becomes a collective responsibility rather than an individual one.
4. Use an article instead of a pronoun. Try replacing the singular personal pronoun with a definite or indefinite article. Quite often you’ll find that the effect on the sentence’s meaning is negligible. For instance, A student accused of cheating must actively waive his right to have his guidance counselor present becomes A student accused of cheating must actively waive the right to have a guidance counselor present.
5. Use the neutral singular pronoun one. Try replacing the gender-specific personal pronoun with the gender-neutral singular pronoun one. For instance, an actor in New York is likely to earn more than he is in Paducah becomes an actor in New York is likely to earn more than one in Paducah.
6. Use the relative pronoun who. This technique works best when it replaces a personal pronoun that follows if. It also requires revising the sentence slightly. For instance, employers presume that if an applicant can’t write well he won’t be a good employee becomes employers presume that an applicant who can’t write well won’t be a good employee.
7. Use the imperative mood. The imperative eliminates the need for an explicit pronoun. Although its usefulness is limited in some types of writing, you may find that it avoids prolixity and more forcefully addresses the target audience. For instance, a lifeguard must keep a close watch over children while he is monitoring the pool becomes keep a close watch over children while monitoring the pool.
8. In moderation, use he or she. Although it is an easy fix, the phrase he or she should be used sparingly, preferably only when no other technique is satisfactory. For instance, if a complainant is not satisfied with the board’s decision, then he can ask for a rehearing becomes if a complainant is not satisfied with the board’s decision, then he or she can ask for a rehearing. If you find you need to repeat the pronouns in the same sentence, don’t. Revise the sentence instead.
9. Revise the sentence. If no other technique produces a sentence that reads well, rewrite the sentence so that personal pronouns aren’t needed. The amount of revision will vary. For instance, if a boy or girl misbehaves, his or her privileges will be revoked becomes if someone misbehaves, that person’s privileges will be revoked. And a person who decides not to admit he lied will be considered honest until someone exposes his lie becomes a person who denies lying will be considered honest until the lie is exposed.

440 Necessary gender-specific language. It isn’t always necessary or desirable to use gender-neutral terms and phrasings. If you’re writing about something that clearly concerns only one sex (e.g., women’s studies; men’s golf championship) or an inherently single-sex institution (e.g., a sorority; a Masonic lodge), trying to use gender-neutral language may lead to absurd prose {be solicitous of a pregnant friend’s comfort; he or she will need your support}.

441 Sex-specific labels as adjectives. It’s acceptable to use the noun woman as a modifier {woman judge}. In recent decades, woman has been rapidly replacing lady in such constructions. The adjective female is also used often but may be less acceptable to some readers who feel that it is somehow dismissive or derogatory (perhaps because it’s a biological term used for animals as well as humans). Female is also relatively common in some phrasings (e.g., female police officer). But be careful to use such modifiers only when the subject’s gender is relevant. Referring to a “woman judge” when her sex isn’t germane to the discussion risks offending many readers by implying that there is something unusual or remarkable about a woman in that profession. As a rule, don’t use such a modifier—or a gendered suffix (see § 443)—unless you would also do so for a male in the same context.

442 Gender-neutral singular pronouns. The only gender-neutral singular pronoun in English is it, which doesn’t refer to humans (with very limited exceptions). Clumsy artifices such as s/he and (wo)man or artificial genderless pronouns have all been tried—for many years—with no success. They won’t succeed. And those who use them invite credibility problems. Indefinite pronouns such as anybody and someone don’t always satisfy the need for a gender-neutral alternative because they are traditionally regarded as singular antecedents that call for a third-person-singular pronoun. Many people substitute the plural they, them, and their for the singular he, she, him, his, or her. Although they and their have become common in informal usage, these are not considered fully acceptable in formal AmE [American English]—though BrE [British English] is much more accepting of them. Yet they are steadily gaining ground. For now, unless you are given guidelines to the contrary, be wary of using them in a singular sense. [This advice, like the techniques for achieving gender neutrality discussed above, applies mainly to generic references, where the identity of the person is unknown or unimportant. For references to a specific person, the choice of pronoun may depend on the individual. Some people identify not with a gender-specific pronoun but instead with the pronoun they and its forms or some other gender-neutral singular pronoun; any such preference should be respected.]

443 Problematic suffixes. The trend in AmE is toward eliminating sex-specific suffixes. Words with feminine suffixes such as -ess and -ette are easily replaced with the suffix-free forms, which are increasingly accepted as applying to both men and women. For example, author and testator are preferable to authoress and testatrix. The suffix -man is more problematic. The word person rarely functions well as a suffix. It tends to make words such as chairperson and anchorperson sound more pompous or wooden than the simpler (and correct) chair or anchor. Also, an unfortunate tendency (or suspicion) is that the -person suffix is being used only for women. So unless a -person word is well established (such as salesperson, which dates from 1901), don’t automatically substitute -person for -man. English has many alternatives that are not necessarily newly coined, including police officer (first recorded in 1797), firefighter (1903), and mail carrier (1788).

444 Avoiding other biased language. Comments that betray a writer’s conscious or unconscious biases or ignorance may cause readers to lose respect for the writer and interpret the words in unintended ways. Below are some things to watch for.

445 Unnecessary focus on personal characteristics. As a matter of style, it’s wise to avoid irrelevant references to personal characteristics such as sex, race, ethnicity, disability, age, religion, sexual orientation, and social standing. Such pointless references may affect a reader’s perception of you or the person you are writing about or both. They may also invoke a reader’s biases and cloud your meaning. When it is important to mention a characteristic because doing so will help the reader develop a picture of the person you are writing about, use care. For instance, in the sentence Shirley Chisholm was probably the finest black woman member of the House of Representatives that New York has ever had, the phrase black woman might imply to some readers that (1) Chisholm was a great representative “for a woman” but may have been surpassed by many or even all men, (2) she stands out only among black women who have served in Congress, or (3) it is unusual for a woman or an African American to hold high office. But in Shirley Chisholm was the first black woman to be elected to Congress and one of New York’s all-time best representatives, the purpose of the phrase black woman is not likely to be misunderstood.

446 Unnecessary emphasis on the trait, not the person. A characteristic is best not made into a label. It should preferably be used as an adjective, not as a noun. Instead of referring to someone as, for instance, a Catholic or a deaf-mute, put the person first by writing a Catholic man or he is Catholic, and a deaf-and-mute child or the child is deaf and mute.

447 Inappropriate labels. People are sensitive to labels, especially those that describe them or the group they identify with. Labels change, sometimes rapidly, so that what is acceptable at one point in time is not at another. More than one acceptable label may be widely used at the same time. Or a particular label may be preferred in one geographic area but objectionable in another. Some labels may have subtle differences. And some are suitable for things but not people. Your best guide for choosing which term to use is the affected individual’s or group’s preference. Be aware of what’s current and appropriate.

Print This Page