Gender Neutral Nouns

Chris:	I love New York City. It’s the best city in the world.
Jessica:	There is definitely no other city like it. What’s your favorite place in “The Big Apple”, Chris?
Chris:	I like to walk on Broadway on the Upper West Side. I’ll typically walk from 116th Street all the way down to 80th Street. Sometimes I go to the fabulous delicatessens and eat a slice of New York cheesecake or a bagel. I also love to watch the cab drivers go by. The streets are always full of people and lined with used book sellers.
Jessica:	When I visit New York, I like to sit on a bench in Central Park with a slice of the best pizza in America while I people watch, especially when it snows. Nothing is more romantic than New York on a snow day.
Chris:	When I was a little kid visiting New York, I used to love to go to the top of one of the twin towers of the World Trade Center and watch the sun set over the skyscrapers. At just the right time, they would all look golden. But of course, since the terrorist attack of September 11th, 2001, the twin towers are gone. I’ve visited the memorial for the victims.
Jessica:	I really like the memorial. It’s a waterfall on four sides that flows into the footprint of one of the fallen towers. I especially love the Survivor Tree. When I go there, I pay tribute to the brave police officers and firefighters who died that day in the line of duty as first responders.
Chris:	The Survivor Tree? What’s that? I’ve never heard of it.
Jessica:	The Survivor Tree is a pear tree that New York firefighters pulled out of the rubble at ground zero. Its trunk and branches were severely burned and its roots were broken, but arborists, or as I call them, tree doctors, healed the tree and planted it next to the memorial for the fallen towers.
Chris:	As a symbol of rebirth?
Jessica:	Exactly. Life that is reborn from the ashes. Right next to the memorial, they built a new World Trade Center that is as magnificent as the towers that were destroyed on 9/11. It’s called the Freedom Tower. You can once again go up to the observation deck and look at the skyscrapers of New York.
Chris:	I will have to go up next time I’m there. I heard it’s once again the tallest building in America. The rebuilding of the World Trade Center was important because actions speak louder than words.
Jessica:	You know, the spouse of one of my teachers died in a plane that hit the south tower. He was a flight attendant. It was a dreadful day in American history.
Chris:	Yeah. All in all, 2,977 people died on 9/11, and I’m not counting the 19 terrorists here. It was the deadliest act of terror in history and the biggest foreign attack on our soil since the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. There was never a question in my mind that New York would recover. New Yorkers have true grit and a generosity of spirit that is unbreakable. No act of evil can touch that.

Gender Neutral Nouns

Unlike many other languages, most English nouns are not gender specific. For example, “doctor” can refer to a male or female physician, just as “professor” can refer to a male or female instructor at a university. However, some nouns are gender specific. In the past, a person who worked for the police department was called a policeman and the person who delivered mail was called a postman.

I. Gender Neutral Nouns

Today, most gender specific nouns are considered outdated, as they ignore women who do the same job. Now, we use the term police officer and mail carrier as they refer to both men and women. Consider the following gender neutral nouns:

stewardess = flight attendant chairman = chair, chairperson fireman = firefighter businessman = business person foreman = supervisor spokesman = spokesperson cleaning lady = cleaner fisherman = fisher

Some gender specific nouns are still used, as they have always had a counterpart for the opposite sex. Some of these nouns do have a third version that can refer to either.

actor, actress (actor) congressman, congresswoman (members of congress) husband, wife (spouse) waiter, waitress (server)

II. Gender Neutral Pronouns

When writing about a hypothetical situation or something in general, it’s important to be gender inclusive. This is done by using pronouns to include both men and women.

I’m not sure who will be the next president, but he must be thoughtful and considerate. The pronoun assumes that the next president will be a man. I’m not sure who will be the next president, but he or she must be thoughtful and considerate. I’m not sure who will be the next president, but they must be thoughtful and considerate. The pronoun considers that the next president could be a man or woman.

It is acceptable to use either both he/she or the third person they in this situation.

Gender Neutral Nouns

Select the correct gender neutral term below.

Gender Neutral Nouns

Decide if the following sentences use gendered nouns and pronouns correctly. Choose if the sentence is correct or if it’s incorrect.

1. Congresswoman Nancy Smith will be the keynote speaker.
2. Go find a policeman for help!
3. Our company is looking to hire five new fisherman.
4. I’ll call down to the reception desk and request a cleaner.
5. My favorite actress is Greta Garbo.
6. The English department is looking to hire a new chair.
7. I hope in ten years, we’ll have a better mayor. Whoever it is, he’ll need to fix the public transportation system.
8. Sarah, Ron, and Greg have all been nominated for businessperson of the year.
9. I like flying first class because the stewardesses are more attentive.
10. I can’t believe Jane is retiring. She’s been a waitress at the restaurant for twenty years!