Inclusive Writing
In General
Careful writers try to communicate in a manner that does not exclude particular individuals or groups. At the same time, they try to avoid getting trapped in euphemisms and the ever-changing preferences of various “politically correct” factions—both liberal and conservative. It’s a balancing act, the basic premise of which is to treat people as individuals who are equal.
Here are some guidelines for appropriate references to members of distinctive groups.
Sex and Gender
Avoid the awkward s/he and his/her. The easiest way to write copy that applies equally to men and women is to use plurals. If the singular must be used, use both pronouns, joined by a conjunction.
- To be academically successful, students need to do more than attend classes regularly; they also need to practice good study skills, take advantage of faculty office hours, and get sufficient sleep.
- If a student is ill, she or he should notify the appropriate professors immediately.
Another alternative, when its use is appropriate, is the second person:
- You will need to purchase your campus parking permit during the first week of the new semester.
Their is becoming more accepted as both a singular and a plural pronoun. In part, this usage derives from attempts to make writing nonsexist. Most professional writers, however, reserve their as a plural pronoun and rewrite copy to avoid using it as a singular pronoun. We recommend using their only as a plural pronoun until published usage has changed significantly.
- MAY BE PASSABLE Any student who arrives late for the exam must request permission to take their exam at a later date.
- PREFERRED Any student who arrives late for the exam must request permission to take the exam at a later date.
Age
When writing for a general audience, avoid making assumptions about age-related abilities. For example, remember that not all college students are between the ages of 18 and 22.
Disability
When writing about individuals with disabilities, use “person first” language; e.g., person who uses a wheelchair, student who is blind, individual with a disability.
- Students with hearing, vision, learning, psychological, or physical disabilities should contact Disability Services to determine whether they are eligible for support services and/or accommodations.
Parking for people with disabilities should be referred to as accessible parking, not handicap parking.
Race and Ethnicity
Current practice and preference is to style the names of non-European Americans without hyphens. Although there are many more distinct ethnicities within each category, these are the most common:
- African American or Black (Americans of African or Caribbean descent)
- American Indian or Native American (descendents of the original North, South, and Central Americans, also referred to as indigenous people)
- Asian Pacific American (Americans of Asian descent or Pacific Island ancestry)
- Caucasian or White (refers to descendants of European, North African, and southwest Asian families with light skin pigmentation)
- Hispanic American or Latino/Chicano (Americans with ancestors from Spain, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, South and Central America)
- Multiracial (people whose ancestors are not of a single race. Also referred to as biracial or mixed race. Can describe a society or group that is composed of people from more than one racial or ethnic group)
- people of color (for any non-European Americans and their descendants)
In informal writing, where specific racial and ethnic identification would seem stilted, the terms black and white are sometimes preferable with reference to individuals of African American and European American ancestry. Note that these terms are used both as nouns and adjectives. In both cases, they represent distinct groups of people. However, the terms are not proper nouns and, hence, are not capitalized.
- Whether you’re black or white, there’s no question that we all notice skin color—especially when it’s different from our own.
Although style books agree that black and white should not be capitalized, there may be times when, in attempting to conform to a particular group’s preference for capitalization, you capitalize one adjective. In such cases, be consistent and capitalize all similar terms:
- Whether you’re Black or White, there’s no question that we all notice skin color—especially when it’s different from our own.
Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity/Expression
Gender identity and expression are separate from sexual orientation. Gender identity is a person’s view of her or his own gender. Gender expression is the external presentation or appearance of gender, which may or may not differ from both gender identity and sexual orientation.
To avoid the appearance of bias, avoid acknowledged, admitted, or avowed as adjectives preceding the words lesbian, bisexual, or gay. Transgender (not transgendered) is an adjective only. Preferred phrasings to describe sexual orientation and gender identity and expression include openly gay/lesbian/bisexual, gay/lesbian/bisexual identified, or transgender person/man/woman. Note that most individuals with a same-sex orientation prefer lesbian or gay over homosexual.
Stereotypes
Remember the prime directive: Write about people as individuals, not as members of some stereotypical group. Do not, therefore, write about engineering students as if they are all male. Do not write about professors as if they all dress in tweed and can’t remember where they parked their cars.