Avoiding Gender Bias

[MikeBarone]

I work for a major automotive company. I write procedures, manuals, and technical papers as part of my every day responsibilities.

Nothing irks me more when other writers cannot avoid using gender specific words to make their point.

For example, "The user should first turn on his computer." That is poor writing, unless the text is about men in general, that is.

There are ways to write this so it is not gender bias.

Such as, "The users should turn on their computers."
This pluralizes it, which is fine but if the sentence pertains to only one person it will be out of context.

Another option could be, "First turn on your computer."

Mike Barone

http://www.cgiscript.net

FREE CGI/Perl Scripts & JavaScript Generators

 

[SQLSister]

Ah yes, this annoys me greatly, too. I'm especially appalled at the usage I see frequently:
"The user should turn on their computer."

I also find it disturbing when some man tells me I shouldn't mind if the writer uses he or him to refer to both men and women, yet the same person will object if I use she/her to refer to both men and women. Why is it not insulting for me to be called he, but it is insulting for a man to be called she?

Personally I prefer he/she or his/her if I cannot use a plural or cast it into the second person.

Another alternative is to avoid using personal pronouns altogether. "The user should turn on the computer."

Of course, English being the quirky language it is, I now have this image of a user trying to get a computer turned on in the sexual sense.

Questions about posting. See faq183-874

 

[Stella740pl]

Well, you might find me old-fashioned, but I'm not insulted when writer uses "he" to refer to both men and women; I am guilty of doing it myself once in a while. It's just how it's historically used in the language, that's all. No offence meant.

In my native Russian, I would use it like that, too, but for a different reason. All nouns (and adjectives, and verbs, too, for that matter) are genderized, and words "user" and "person" are of male gender - gramatically, nothing to do with the meaning.

On the other hand, I prefer to avoid genderization (or when writer avoided it) whenever possible, especially because there is a request in society. "First, turn on your computer.", or "The user should turn on the computer.", or "The users should turn on their computers.", or "The user should turn on his/her computer.", or "The computer should be turned on before you can start." are all acceptable by me, where applicable.
"The user should turn on their computer." is not. It's just plain incorrect.
"The user should turn on her computer." just sounds weird, if it's written for entity other than school for girls (or a similar all-female organization).

Stella

 

[MikeBarone]

The user should turn on the computer."

I bet the computer will not mind the sexual innuendo

Maybe something like this:
"The user shall activate the computer's power switch." (hehe)

"The user should turn on their computer."

Yes, going from singular to plural in the blink of an eye, atrotious! Or does this mean they should suddenly become angry at their computer?



Mike Barone

http://www.cgiscript.net

FREE CGI/Perl Scripts & JavaScript Generators

 

[SF0751]

How about "The user should power the computer on."?

I dislike seeing the phrases "hit the enter button" or "the screen/display/monitor will say 'blah blah blah.....'"

If I were to HIT the enter button, it would break and I would need a new keyboard. How about if I opt to "press the enter button" instead?

And my PC does not have a fancy speech playback system, so the screen/display/monitor has never actually SAID anything. Maybe that's because it's never been turned on?

Susan
"People seem not to see that their opinion of the world is also a confession of their character."
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882)

 

[CajunCenturion]

"The user should turn on their computer." is not. It's just plain incorrect.

Don't look now, but the "singular their" construct is catching on. It has a ways to go yet, but it is gaining acceptance.

Good Luck
--------------
To get the most from your Tek-Tips experience, please read FAQ181-2886
As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein

 

[Dimandja]

>Don't look now, but the "singular their" construct is catching on. It has a ways to go yet, but it is gaining acceptance.

Bad grammar is indeed catchy on Internet. Too many surfers can type -- not necessarily in good English (or whatever language they are slaughtering).

Keying on "their computer", I found 2 questionable mentions out of more than 80:

To the person who left their computer in the trash on 7th Ave.
From

http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/sfo/2822956.html

Does the respondent currently have one or more virus infections on their computer?
From some PDF site I didn't bother to access. (Acrobat would have taken for ever to load stuff I never use.)

 

[CajunCenturion]

Bad grammar is indeed catchy on Internet. That's true for a variety of reasons.

May I suggest this page for further reading:
World Wide Words

Good Luck
--------------
To get the most from your Tek-Tips experience, please read FAQ181-2886
As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein

 

[rosieb]

How about "First, switch on your computer"?

I prefer to see instructions given in the first person, it makes them a little more personal, and is easier to follow, it also means you don't have to worry about how to couch things in terms of gender/sex.


Rosie
"Never express yourself more clearly than you think" (Niels Bohr)

 

[donbott]

If someone needs to be told to turn on their computer before trying to use it they shouldn't handle sharp objects.

I have no problem with "he/his", enjoy "she/her" because I know some mysogonists (sp?) get bent out of shape over it, and agree "their" seems odd, and a little too p.c., for me

DonBott

 

[sleipnir214]

In spite of myself, I find I am becoming more accepting of the singular "their". I don't like it, but it does solve certain linguistic problems.


<aside>
donbott:
You were close -- it's misogynist. The only way I can remember where the "y" goes is to keep in mind that the core concept is the same as the one in gynecologist
</aside>



Want the best answers? Ask the best questions!

TANSTAAFL!!

 

[rosieb]

donbott
I try to avoid allowing any of the IT staff using sharp objects, it saves messy problems.




Rosie
"Never express yourself more clearly than you think" (Niels Bohr)

 

[donbott]

But...But... I'm on the IT staff...and where did this spoon come from?

DonBott

take two of these and call me in the morning

 

[sha76]

I was taught in primary school (about 20 years ago) that although the use of a "singular their" was grammatically incorrect it was widely used & generally accepted, so I don't think that one can be blamed on the internet!

"Your rock is eroding wrong." -Dogbert

 

[RodKnowlton]

"The user should turn on the computer."

Of course, English being the quirky language it is, I now have this image of a user trying to get a computer turned on in the sexual sense.

Maybe it's because I'm a systems administrator, but my image was of the user, having once been an ally of the computer, suddenly becoming antagonistic toward it.




Rod Knowlton
IBM Certified Advanced Technical Expert pSeries and AIX 5L
CompTIA Linux+
CompTIA Security+

 

[SQLSister]

Yes, I can see that user beating the computer in frustration now! So now we have one sentence with three totally different meanings, all of which are valid uses of the English language. Is it any wonder people have trouble learning English.

Questions about posting. See faq183-874

 

[Dimandja]

Mastering a few words such as "in", "on", "out", "off" is the key to the English language.

 

[MikeBarone]

So if I was to say, "I was 'in' the house while 'on' drugs and I was told to get 'out' but decided to jump 'off' the roof instead." I would be a master of the English language (hehe)?

Injured and heading to drug rehabilitation after leaving the hospital due to injures from the fall, but a master of the English language none-the-less!

Lest we digress.

Mike Barone

http://www.cgiscript.net

"One forgets words as one forgets names. One's vocabulary needs constant fertilizing or it will die."

- Evelyn Waugh

 

[aardvark92]

If I were to HIT the enter button, it would break and I would need a new keyboard. How about if I opt to "press the enter button" instead?

I've taken on the responsibility of updating several instruction sheets where I work. Previous to me, someone had tried to eliminate the word hit by replacing it with touch: Please touch the enter key. The keyboard might last longer, but productivity would be low.


Regarding him/her, I am one of two men in a company with 70 women. It's easier to use her in most examples.

 

[ESquared]

I detest the singular-their construction. Instead,

• One can use one and one's in some situations.
• If using his is unpalatable, why not switch between the two? This is the one I most often choose.
• Pluralize it.
• Rewrite the sentence to use no pronoun.

As for,

"The user should first turn on his computer."

I agree it is poor writing, but not because it uses a masculine pronoun. It is poor writing because it does not tell the user to do anything. It is merely a description of a state, not a prescription for the user.

First, turn on the computer.

E²

P.S. Let's invent gender neutral pronouns and start using them!

he, him, his, his
she, her, her, hers
it, it, its, its
I, me, my, mine
we, us, our, ours
you, you, your, yours
they, them, their, theirs
thou, thee, thy, thine [almost got thee/thou backward!]
?, ?, ?, ?

ne, nim, nir, nirs!


-------------------------------------
It is better to have honor than a good reputation.
(Reputation is what other people think about you. Honor is what you know about yourself.)