A couple of days ago a manager shared on LinkedIn a photo of a team of smiling men and women celebrating some achievement. Her message read, “A big thanks to my 15-man team”.
The photo, showing diversity at work, is such a great choice for a social media post. But the accompanying text isn’t. Instead, it’s a sexist language example.
To help you avoid using biased language in your social media posts, in this blog I’ll explain why the generic “man” is sexist and list some of the alternatives.
The generic “man” is sexist because “man” does not mean “people”
In Old English man meant “person”. But by the Industrial Revolution, the generic man was gone and the modern meaning of the word (“adult male human”) was firmly established.
So, “15-man team” is not the same as “15-person team”. If you’re not convinced, would you say, “Marie Curie was the first man to win a Nobel Prize twice”?
A freelance editor can help you avoid sexist language
Avoiding sexist language is not always easy. This is because many sexist terms are so well ingrained in our everyday language that we don’t stop to think twice before using them. You might be using sexist language without realizing. This can be a problem if your written communications are not vetted by a professional editor first.
The job of a freelance editor involves paying attention to the nuances of the English language. So, a professional editor will eliminate sexist language and other forms of biased language from a document, as well as correcting other mistakes and inconsistencies that could make written communications look unprofessional.
What to use instead of the generic “man”
The following are some of the commonly used sexist terms which include the suffix or prefix man and their nonsexist alternatives:
- man (generic) – person
- mankind – humankind
- man-hours – work-hours
- man-made – artificial, manufactured
- manned – operated
- manpower – staff, personnel
- chairman – moderator, chair
- craftsman – crafter
- draftsman – drafter
- mailman – mail carrier
- policeman – police officer
- spokesman – spokesperson
- common man – average person
- middleman – intermediary
- one-man show – solo show
- sportsmanship – fair play
Is the word “manager” sexist? How about “management”?
If you’re wondering if the word manager is sexist, the answer is no.
The word manager is not sexist, because it doesn’t derive from the word man, which means “adult male person”. This word comes from the Italian maneggiare, meaning “to handle”, which in turn comes from the Latin man, meaning “hand”.
So, a woman manager is never a womanager. This nonword is more than sexist; it’s an insult. (And Womanager is apparently the name of a nonprofit organization. What a poor choice of words… or nonwords, in this case!)
Summary: The generic “man” is a sexist language example
Many words that start with or end in man (such as manned, manpower, man-hours) are sexist. If you want to avoid biased language, replace them with their nonsexist alternatives. However, the words manager, management, and managing are not sexist.
Language is a powerful tool. Depending on your choice of words, you can include or exclude billions of people. Before hitting “Publish”, edit your social media posts to avoid biased language that could make your posts viral for the wrong reasons.
Do you need a freelance English editor for your social media posts? Send me a message at editor@languageediting.com.
Related posts:
- Why your grammar checker can’t make documents perfect
- The small-business owner’s proofreading checklist
- Editorial style guide for small businesses
Last revised on 21 June 2022
