Gender identity
Avoid binary representations of gender when you can reword using gender-neutral language.
Avoid: Hiring men and women of diverse backgrounds fosters a culture of innovation.
Preferable: Hiring people of diverse backgrounds fosters a culture of innovation.
It’s OK to refer to specific genders if the context requires it.
The percentage of women in the workforce has increased.
Women should earn the same as men for comparable work.
Use gender-neutral pronouns.
Don’t use gender-specific pronouns (such as he, she, he or she, and so on) to refer to people of unspecified gender. Instead, it’s OK to use they, their, or them as a singular, gender-neutral pronoun.
Correct: A subscriber can post their recipes to your shared folder.
Incorrect: A subscriber can post his or her recipes to your shared folder.
You can also avoid gender-specific pronouns by rewriting a sentence—for example, using the plural form of the noun (subscribers can post their recipes), or simply omitting the pronoun (a subscriber can post recipes).
If you refer to a specific person, don’t make assumptions about which pronouns to use based on the person’s name or appearance. If you’re unsure how to refer to someone, you can ask them. Individuals may go by he/him, she/her, they/them, other pronouns, or no pronouns.
Use gender-neutral titles and honorifics when appropriate.
Some people may choose to use a gender-neutral title (such as Mx.). If you’re writing content about (or addressed to) a real person, and your style requires you to include a title, ask the person what title they use. If you can’t ask them, consider adopting a style that refers to people using only their name.