Guidelines for Gender Parity in University Texts

Date effective: 1991-05-06

Authorized by: Secretary of the University

GUIDELINES FOR GENDER PARITY IN UNIVERSITY TEXTS

I. BASIC PRINCIPLES

a) The masculine gender should not be used to refer to both men and women.

b) The use of parentheses, slashes and hyphens to isolate the feminine gender (ex.: his/her, his(her)) should be avoided.

II. GENDER-NEUTRALITY

a) Pronouns and Possessive Adjectives

To avoid the problem of gender-specific pronouns and possessiveadjectives ("he" and "she"; "his" and "her";), the followingalternatives are available:

e.g. A staff member can use his I.D. card to enter the sports facilities --- Staff members can use their I.D. cards...

e.g. An employee must advise his supervisor in case of emergency --- An employee must advise the supervisor...

e.g. Each student must contact his thesis supervisor --- Each student must contact his or her..., or her or his...

e.g. Each student is expected to try as hard as she can --- Each student is expected to try as hard as possible.

e.g. If a student fails an exam, he must... --- If a student fails an exam, he or she must...

e.g. If he participates regularly in residence activities, the student will adapt more quickly --- If you participate..., you will adapt...

e.g. A chairman of a department should also speak his mind during promotion hearings --- A chairperson (or department head) should also speak out (or "express opinions") during...

    1. 1) Use of plural nouns and pronouns
    1. 2) Replacement of possessive adjectives with articles
    1. 3) Use of both possessive adjectives, linked by "or". Their order should be varied in lengthy texts.
    1. 4) Elimination of the pronoun (neutral expression)
    1. 5) Use of both pronouns, linked by "or"
    1. 6) Direct address to the reader (in more personal or promotional texts)
    1. 7) Use of genderless nouns or phrases

b) Titles and Terms: Suggestions

Titles and terms with the prefix or suffix "man" should be replacedby gender-free terms and titles. Below is a list of examples.

busboy table attendant
businessman business executive, business people (plural)
cameraman camera operator
chairman chairperson, chair, head, director
craftsman artisan, craftsperson
draftsman drafter, draftsperson
housewife homemaker
maiden name birth name
mailman letter carrier, postal worker
man hours work hours, staff hours
mankind humanity, the human race, humankind
man-made artificial, synthetic, manufactured (the "man" in "manufactured" refers to the latin word "manus", meaning hand)
manpower work force, workers, personnel, staff, human resources
middleman intermediary, wholesaler (business), go between
patrolman patroller, patrol officer
repairman repairer, repair technician
salesman salesperson, sales representative, sales clerk
spokesman representative, spokesperson
sportsmanship fair play
workman worker

III. CORRESPONDENCE AND FORMS OF ADDRESS

a) It is best not to refer to the marital status of women unless it is specified by the addressee.

b) For replies to external letters, the sex or statusspecified by the originator is used of course. Should this informationbe lacking, the letter can be addressed without reference to sex orstatus, for example

6 Main St.

Ottawa, Ontario

As for the salutation, it can read in one of two ways:

    1. R.S. Jones
  1. Dear R.S. Jones: or Dear Sir or Madam:

c) For correspondence with a person whose sex, status or name are unknown, "Dear Sir or Madam:" is used.

d) In the address of a letter, the form "Mr. and Mrs. LarrySmith" should be avoided, even though certain experts maintain thatthis usage is still proper etiquette. Preferable forms would be:

e.g. Marie Davidson and Marc Shuster.

  1. "Larry and Julie Smith" or "Mr. and Mrs. Smith"
    1. NOTE: In the province of Quebec, and more and morefrequently outside this province, women no longer take the name oftheir husband. A letter to both wife and husband in this case bearsboth their names.

Published May 6, 1991

(Office of the Secretary)