What is sexism in writing? It is the assumption that people are all male or all female. Men are choosing professions once considered only for women, and women are branching out into professions that were once dominated by men. Sexism in writing can occur in various ways. When writing, using pronouns that refer to men just ignores half the population and sends the message that all humans are men.

There are ways to avoid using masculine pronouns that refer to both men and women in your writing and avoid alienating 50% of the population.

Here is a list of indefinite pronouns that are considered singular:

other, anyone, anyone, anything, each, anyone, all, everyone, all, little, much, none, nobody, none, nobody, nothing, one, another, somebody, somebody, something

Here are some indefinite pronouns that can be considered singular or plural, depending on how they are used in the sentence.

· All, any, more, most and some are plural when referring to plural nouns; all, any, more, most and some are singular when they refer to singular nouns or collective nouns.

To avoid sexism in your writing, follow these basic tips:

· Use singular pronouns to refer to singular nouns;
· Use singular pronouns to refer to singular indefinite pronouns;
· Use plural pronouns to refer to plural nouns;

Correct: if a student wants to take the class, they can register tomorrow.
Incorrect: If a student wants to take the class, they can register tomorrow.

Correct: If someone wants to take the class, they can register tomorrow.
Wrong: If someone wants to take the class, they can sign up tomorrow.

Correct: if students want to take the class, they can register tomorrow.
Incorrect: If students want to take the class, they can register tomorrow.

If you don’t know if the person referred to is a woman or a man, follow these basic tips:

· Use “he or she” or “his or her”;
· Make the sentence plural using plural nouns and pronouns;
· Rewrite the sentence to avoid the use of pronouns altogether;

Correct: Everyone wanted to know their grades.
Wrong: Everyone wanted to know their grades.

Correct: The students wanted to know their grades.
Incorrect: The students wanted to know their grades.

Correct: The students wanted to know the grades.
Incorrect: The students wanted to know their grades.

If you know the gender of the person you are referring to, follow these basic tips:

· Use “she or she” to refer to a woman;
· Using “he or he or her” to refer to a man;

Correct: the postman left his mail bag on my doorstep.
Wrong: The postman left his mail bag on my doorstep.

Correct: ask the policewoman if she can direct you to the courthouse.
Wrong: ask the policewoman if she can give you directions to the courthouse.

Using these simple tips will help you improve your writing and keep your communication clear. You won’t go wrong and you won’t alienate half the population by using sexism in your writing.