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Well you read it right …. Plural “They” along with singular “is” in a single sentence . Let’s first understand what is meant by gender inclusive language … before we figure out plural and singular.

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The definition of Gender Inclusive by UN Women emphasizing on a gender equal world

This is not yet another fad which will fade away. Instead it is an attempt to debunk stereotypes and acknowledge the contribution of every individual without preference to any gender. Our gendered language may be attributed to our unconscious bias (read more about unconscious bias in our blog)/ Here is a list of nouns which indicate inclusion (the list is not comprehensive).

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Now, going back to the title of this blog, can we really use They as singular? Will it not be a treated grammatical error? Merriam Webster dictionary is here to rescue. Check out the definition of They particularly 3d.

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By using “medical attendant” instead of “nurse” and “firefighter” instead of “fireman” we will perhaps, stop visualizing and woman / man respectively associated with these professions, resulting in an equal world.

Our next blog will give some examples of the usage of gender inclusive language

References :

  1. https://www.un.org/en/gender-inclusive-language/
  2. https://www.merriam-webster.com/

We can help your organization to use gender inclusive terms. Contact us on connect@ananyawomenatwork.com

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