{"id":8658,"date":"2017-09-06T18:15:28","date_gmt":"2017-09-06T12:15:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/academy\/?p=8658"},"modified":"2023-12-27T19:48:16","modified_gmt":"2023-12-27T13:48:16","slug":"what-are-the-preferred-gender-pronouns-in-academic-writing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/academy\/what-are-the-preferred-gender-pronouns-in-academic-writing\/","title":{"rendered":"What Are the Preferred Gender-Neutral Pronouns in Academic Writing?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Choosing the right pronoun for instances where a person\u2019s gender is unknown or does not conform to the social norms is a topic that has been much discussed and debated. English grammar books explain that English only has the gendered pronouns he<\/em> and she<\/em> to refer to an individual in the third person. (The gender-neutral word it<\/em> is only used for animals or objects; it would be impolite to call a person it<\/em>.)<\/p>\n

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This poses a problem in several scenarios. For example, consider that you wish to quote an anonymous survey respondent in your research article. If the respondent\u2019s gender is not reported, should you call the person he<\/em> or she<\/em>? Would the pronoun they <\/em>suffice in this context, even though they<\/em> is usually described as the third person plural? Other times, you may wish to write abstractly about someone <\/em>or anyone<\/em>. You might also want to refer to each individual in a large group that consists of both men and women. Should you talk about he<\/em>, she<\/em>, or they<\/em>?<\/p>\n

Older texts are likely to use \u201che\u201d<\/em> in such instances. For example, it is common to see sentences like \u201cEvery lawyer should bring his briefcase.\u201d Contemporary style guides and editors tend to recommend he or she<\/em>, although they<\/em> is quite common, especially in informal contexts and spoken conversation. This article explains the background of the issue as well as current perspectives.<\/p>\n

Traditional View and Existing Guidelines<\/h2>\n

Past generations were taught to default to the masculine pronoun he<\/em>, called the \u201cgeneric\u201d or \u201cneutral\u201d he<\/em>. The idea was that the generic he<\/em> could represent either a male or female person. This resulted in sentences such as \u201cEvery lawyer should bring his briefcase,\u201d as mentioned above. As a result of feminist objections, however, since the 1960s and 1970s, writers have increasingly used the phrase he or she<\/em>. This phrase explicitly acknowledges the possibility of either a male or female person as the referent.<\/p>\n

He or she<\/em> is the phrase currently recommended by APA and The Chicago Manual of Style when avoidance strategies are insufficient. This is explained in further detail below.<\/p>\n

Contemporary Perspectives: Singular they <\/em>vs. he or she<\/em><\/h2>\n

Linguists point out that the pronoun they<\/em> is, in fact, a third person singular<\/em> form widely used in colloquial English when a person\u2019s gender is unknown or simply unspecified, tracing the usage back several centuries (Grey, 2015). In casual conversation, you would sound perfectly natural saying \u201cSomebody forgot their coat.\u201d<\/p>\n

The American Dialect Society drew attention to this fact by recognizing the gender-neutral, singular they<\/em> as the \u201cword of the year<\/a>\u201d for 2015 and has also noted its acceptance by the Washington Post style guide.<\/p>\n

As APA blog writer Chelsea Lee points out<\/a>, researchers in gender studies may object to the binary way of thinking that underlies the phrase he or she<\/em>. Indeed, some transgender or gender non-conforming individuals may specifically ask to be referred to as they<\/em>. If they<\/em> is to be used in this way, it is a good idea to give a brief explanation (e.g., \u201cCasey prefers the pronoun \u2018they\u2019\u201d) so that readers do not feel confused.<\/p>\n

However, in academic settings overall, using they<\/em> as a singular form remains a matter of debate. Prestigious journals and publishers prefer traditional grammar and are likely to follow the advice of specific style guides. Therefore, despite the arguments in favor of allowing singular they<\/em>, editors will probably revise sentences to avoid it or recommend the phrase he or she<\/em>.<\/p>\n

APA recommends avoiding the problem by changing sentences to the plural or eliminating the pronoun altogether. For example, sentence (1) can be revised to (2):<\/p>\n

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