Generic Antecedent - Gender in English Pronouns

Gender in English Pronouns

If an antecedent refers to a thing, either specific or generic, rather than a person, the appropriate pronoun to refer back to it is it, and no difficulty arises. Likewise, if the antecedent is more than one thing, again either specific or generic, the pronoun they is used to refer back to them, and again no difficulty arises.

When the antecedent is a specific person (whose gender is therefore known), the correct referring pronoun is either he or she, depending on the person's gender. When the antecedent is a specific group of two or more people, the pronoun they is used, again without any difficulty arising. And when the antecedent is generic and plural, again the pronoun they is used and is not problematic, because they is not gender-specific.

But difficulty arises in choosing a singular pronoun to refer to a single, unspecified human (whose gender is variable, as the reference is equally to a hypothetical male or a hypothetical female).

It is the overlap of generic use with gender role stereotyping that has led to controversy in English.

• A nurse should ensure she gets adequate rest.
• A police officer should maintain his fitness.
• A dancer should watch her diet carefully.
• A boss should treat his staff well.

In these examples, some speakers might mean that all nurses are female, or that all bosses are male, while others might intend the pronouns as generic and hence gender-unspecific. Ambiguity arises from the possibility that the listener might interpret the meaning differently from what the speaker intended.