Gender-Neutral Vocabulary in Modern English

• Goal: Learn to replace old gendered nouns with modern gender-neutral nouns in everyday American English.
• Focus: family & relationships, jobs & work, religion & ceremony (including Buddhist clergy), and how to address groups.
• Skills: recognizing gendered words, choosing neutral words, and rewriting sentences.

What is gender-neutral language?

• Gendered word: shows male or female. Examples: fireman, waitress, chairman.
• Gender-neutral word: works for any gender. Examples: firefighter, server, chair.
• We use gender-neutral words to be respectful, clear, and inclusive.
• Modern style guides in English often prefer neutral terms when gender is not important.

Family and relationships ‐ overview

• Use neutral words when the exact gender is not important.
• Typical situations: school forms, medical forms, workplace forms, and news stories.
• Key idea: focus on the role (parent, child, partner), not on the gender.

Family and relationships ‐ partners

• husband / wife → spouse; partner
• boyfriend / girlfriend → partner
• fiancé / fiancée → fiancé (for any gender) or engaged partner
• ex-husband / ex-wife → ex-spouse; former partner
• Example: My wife is a doctor. → My spouse is a doctor.
• Example: Her boyfriend is late. → Her partner is late.

Family and relationships ‐ parents and children

• mother / father → parent; caregiver
• mom / dad → parent; grown-up at home (kid-friendly)
• son / daughter → child; kid; offspring
• grandson / granddaughter → grandchild
• Example: Please ask your father to sign here. → Please ask your parent to sign here.
• Example: Their daughter is in 7th grade. → Their child is in 7th grade.

Family and relationships ‐ extended family

• brother / sister → sibling
• half-brother / half-sister → half-sibling
• step-brother / step-sister → step-sibling
• uncle / aunt → parent's sibling; relative ( Pibling is an informal, gender-neutral term used to refer to the sibling of your parents i.e. uncle/aunt )
• nephew / niece → sibling's child ( nibling is an informal, gender-neutral term used to refer to the child of your sibling i.e. nephew/niece )
• grandfather / grandmother → grandparent
• mother-in-law / father-in-law → parent-in-law
• brother-in-law / sister-in-law → sibling-in-law

Family and relationships ‐ examples

• My sister lives in Chicago. → My sibling lives in Chicago.
• My aunt is visiting next week. → My relative is visiting next week.
• I love my nephews and nieces. → I love my sibling's children.
• I called my mother-in-law. → I called my parent-in-law.

Jobs and work ‐ overview

• Many older job titles end in -man or use separate forms for men and women.
• Modern English usually uses a single neutral title for all genders.
• Focus on the work, not the gender of the person doing it.

Jobs and work ‐ business and office

• businessman / businesswoman → businessperson; business owner; executive; entrepreneur
• salesman / saleswoman → salesperson; sales rep; sales associate
• chairman / chairwoman → chair; chairperson
• spokesman / spokeswoman → spokesperson
• middleman → intermediary; go-between; broker
• Example: She is a successful businesswoman. → She is a successful business owner.
• Example: The chairman opened the meeting. → The chair opened the meeting.

Jobs and work ‐ public safety and government

• policeman / policewoman → police officer
• fireman → firefighter
• statesman → statesperson; respected political leader
• serviceman / servicewoman → service member; member of the armed forces
• Example: A policeman helped us. → A police officer helped us.
• Example: Many firemen arrived. → Many firefighters arrived.

Jobs and work ‐ services and trades

• mailman → mail carrier; letter carrier; postal worker
• cleaning lady → cleaner; house cleaner; custodian; janitor
• repairman → repair technician; repair worker; service technician
• handyman → maintenance worker; maintenance person; general contractor
• fisherman → fisher; angler; fishing worker
• Example: Our mailman is late today. → Our mail carrier is late today.
• Example: We hired a cleaning lady. → We hired a cleaner / custodian.

Jobs and work ‐ arts and media

• actress → actor
• comedienne → comedian; comic
• frontman (for a band) → lead singer; lead vocalist
• sportsman / sportswoman → athlete; sportsperson
• anchorman / anchorwoman → news anchor; anchor; host
• Example: She is a famous actress. → She is a famous actor.
• Example: He works as an anchorman. → He works as a news anchor.

Jobs and work ‐ restaurants and travel

• waitress / waiter → server
• hostess (restaurant) → host
• stewardess / steward → flight attendant; cabin crew
• Example: The waitress was very friendly. → Our server was very friendly.
• Example: The stewardess helped the passengers. → The flight attendant helped the passengers.

Religion and ceremony ‐ overview

• Many religious terms were traditionally gendered.
• Neutral options focus on the role, not the gender.
• In Buddhist and monastic contexts, “monastic” is a good neutral word.

Religion and ceremony ‐ Christian/general clergy

• clergyman → member of the clergy; clergy person; minister; religious leader
• churchman / churchwoman → church member; congregant
• layman (religion) → layperson; lay member; congregant
• Example: A clergyman led the service. → A clergy person led the service.
• Example: He is an active churchman. → He is an active congregant.

Religion and ceremony ‐ roles in ceremonies

• godfather / godmother → godparent
• best man / maid of honor → honor attendant; wedding attendant
• bridesmaid / groomsman → wedding attendant; member of the wedding party
• Example: Their godfather attended the ceremony. → Their godparent attended the ceremony.
• Example: The bridesmaids and groomsmen stood by the couple. → The wedding attendants stood by the couple.

Religion and ceremony ‐ monks, nuns, and Buddhist clergy

• monk / nun (Christian or Buddhist) → monastic; religious practitioner
• abbot / abbess → head of the monastery; monastic leader
• Buddhist monk / Buddhist nun → Buddhist monastic; Buddhist teacher
• Example: She is a respected nun. → She is a respected Buddhist monastic.
• Example: The abbot welcomed visitors. → The head of the monastery welcomed visitors.
• Note: In some traditions, titles like “lama” are already used for any gender.

Talking to groups ‐ overview

• Avoid addressing groups in a way that excludes some people.
• Use neutral words like everyone, folks, students, and guests.
• Replace “mankind” and “man-made” with more inclusive terms.

Talking to groups ‐ examples and replacements

• ladies and gentlemen → everyone; honored guests; distinguished guests; friends; colleagues
• boys and girls → students; children; kids; everyone
• you guys → everyone; you all; you folks; y'all (informal)
• the common man → ordinary people; everyday people
• mankind → humankind; humanity; human beings
• man-made → human-made; artificial; synthetic

Talking to groups ‐ example sentences

• “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome.” → “Everyone, welcome.”
• “Boys and girls, please listen.” → “Students, please listen.”
• “You guys need to finish.” → “You all need to finish.”
• “The future of mankind is important.” → “The future of humanity is important.”

Quick practice ‐ rewrite with gender-neutral language

• Instructions: Rewrite each sentence using gender-neutral language.
• 1. Every fireman must wear his helmet.
• 2. Ask your mother or father to sign here.
• 3. The chairman will give his opinion.
• 4. We hired a cleaning lady.
• 5. The Buddhist monk and Buddhist nun spoke to the class.

Quick practice ‐ sample answers

• 1. Every firefighter must wear their helmet.
• 2. Ask your parent to sign here. / Ask your parent or guardian to sign here.
• 3. The chair will give their opinion.
• 4. We hired a cleaner. / We hired a custodian.
• 5. The Buddhist monastics spoke to the class.

Summary ‐ quick replace-this-with-that list

• fireman → firefighter
• policeman / policewoman → police officer
• mailman → mail carrier / postal worker
• chairman / chairwoman → chair / chairperson
• businessman / businesswoman → businessperson
• salesman / saleswoman → salesperson; sales rep
• waitress / waiter → server
• stewardess / steward → flight attendant
• actress → actor
• housewife / househusband → stay-at-home parent
• mother / father → parent
• son / daughter → child
• nephew / niece → sibling's child
• godfather / godmother → godparent
• bridesmaid / groomsman → wedding attendant
• monk / nun → monastic; religious practitioner
• Buddhist monk / Buddhist nun → Buddhist monastic
• ladies and gentlemen → everyone; honored guests
• boys and girls → students; children; everyone
• mankind → humankind; humanity
• man-made → human-made; artificial