Inclusive Language

Pronouns are the words to use in place of a proper name. Some examples include “she/her,” “he/him,” “they/them,” or other gender-neutral pronouns. Similar to how gender-neutral language does not associate a gender with the subject being discussed, a gender-inclusive pronoun is a pronoun that does not assume one’s gender.

Some languages, such as English, do not have a gender-neutral or third-gender pronoun available. This has been criticized, as in many instances, writers, speakers, etc., use “he/his” when referring to a generic individual in the third person. Also, the dichotomy of “he and she” in English does not leave room for other gender identities, which is a source of frustration to transgender and genderqueer communities.

People who are limited by languages that do not include gender-neutral pronouns have attempted to create them in the interest of greater equality. Plural pronouns are becoming more widely accepted as gender-neutral singular pronouns. It is permissible and grammatically correct, per MLA and APA guidelines, to rewrite singular pronouns using a form of ‘they’ if you cannot rephrase your sentence to be plural rather than singular. For example, changing the sentence, “Each author was chosen based on his or her research.” to “Authors were chosen based on their research.”

Here is a list of the most common pronouns used. As always, use the pronouns of the individual. You may see more pronouns outside of this list.

There has been a shift away from the term “preferred gender pronoun” or “PGP” to just using “pronoun.” This change was made because a person’s pronouns are not just preferred; they’re the pronouns that must be used. In the same sense as mentioned earlier, gender was removed because pronouns do not always reflect or indicate someone’s gender.

When in doubt, never guess someone’s sex, gender identity, or sexual orientation. Either reconsider the need to include this information or ask the person you’re referring to how they identify and what pronouns they use.