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Using Male Pronouns - What Is Correct and Acceptable In Modern Journalism?


DonRocks

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This is a problem I run into *all the time* when I'm writing here, and I think the title says it all.

As a male, I feel "guilty" using male pronouns; yet, it's so clumsy saying things like "him or her," etc. You know the problem, so I won't go into any detail explaining it - my question is: What's the best way to handle it?

Obviously, you need to take things on a case-by-case basis. Or do you? Quite often, what I'll do is type something like "(s)he" the very first time I refer to a generic person, and then stick with "he" from that point forward. Is this okay with people? I think "(s)he" works well with me, because it appeals to my mathematical background, shows that I care enough to have thought about it, and doesn't lock me into anything going forward.

However, the first reference isn't always as a subject; it can be an object, and then I'm stuck using "him or her," which I detest.

Several times in the past, I've voiced posts entirely in the female, without any commentary, but that has always felt clumsy to me, as if I'm forcing things. Even though I make no mention of what I'm doing. I feel like I'm making too much of a "statement," even though that's not my intent - my intent is merely to be equitable, but it's very hard to get over the fact that I'm a male writer, and I feel stuck.

Any and all opinions about this subject would be much appreciated, and as an adjunct question for people: Has anyone noticed any gender bias in my writing? If so, I'd like to fix that, but I don't know how (there's no way to fix it without knowing what the problem is).

I suspect there are style manuals, and it would be useful to know what they say, but I don't always follow these types of things (anyone who has read my writing in the past will know what I'm talking about (unless they've read more formal works of mine (which are (generally) published under a <<nom de plume>>))).

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You might consider the singular they, which was good enough for Jane Austen.

Fun fact (or possibly conjecture): "Nom de plume" was probably formed in English, by analogy with French nom de guerre, and then exported back to France. Or so says the OED.

I've actually switched over to the "singular they," but I often don't use it as the very first pronoun. Still, I've been using it now for a few months, and it makes my life a *lot* easier. Good call, btw.

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