Neutrality

Use neutral job titles: Professions that were considered male bastions are now open to both men and women, hence the terms and titles used to denote a certain profession ending in "man" have been revised. See the following examples:

policeman -- police officer;
mailman -- mail carrier;
chairman -- chair.

Use neutral salutations if the recipient is unknown. If you do not know the gender of the recipient who will receive your communication, avoid opening your letter with "Dear Mr." or "Dear Gentlemen." In today's business environment, one cannot assume the sex of the recipient. A simple "To whom it may concern" will work well.

Avoid use of masculine pronouns: Generally, while speaking or writing, the masculine pronouns such as he, him, and his are used as a blanket term to refer to any group. In a mixed group, such blanket terms tend to negate the individuality of women. Since English does not have a third person, singular, gender-neutral pronoun, there are ways in which you can counter this problem.

Use a gender-neutral term such as "they," but make sure it matches a plural antecedent. Avoid using any pronouns by redoing the sentence.

Use "he and/or she" following a singular noun.

Occupational nouns and titles: In the past, certain nouns and titles for occupations were created for women. More often than not, these titles were derived from their male counterparts. Today, these terms have been given the boot, as they imply women's dependence on men. Words like "actress," "waitress," "poetess," and "salesgirl" have been dropped from politically correct vocabulary, and it would be wise to follow the same rules in business writing as well.

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