
Keep Your Mouth Shut! [1941]
Sexist Terminology² | Correct ‘Comrade’ Wording |
Actress | Actor |
Best man for the job | Best person for the job |
Businessman/woman | Businessperson, manager, executive |
Chairman/woman | Chair, chairperson, convenor, head |
Charwoman, cleaning lady | Cleaner |
Craftsman/woman | Craftsperson, craft worker |
Dear Sirs | Dear Sir/Madam (or Madam/Sir) |
Delivery man | Delivery clerk, courier |
Fireman | Fire-fighter |
Forefathers | Ancestors, forebears |
Foreman/woman | Supervisor, head juror |
Gentleman’s agreement | Unwritten agreement, agreement based on trust |
Girls (for adults) | Women |
Headmaster/mistress | Head teacher |
Housewife | Shopper, consumer, homemaker (depends on context) |
Layman | Lay person |
Man (verb) eg man the desk | Operate, staff, work at |
Man in the street, common man | Average/ordinary/typical citizen/person |
Man or mankind | Humanity, humankind, human race, people |
Man-hour | Work-hour, labour time |
Man-made | Artificial, manufactured, synthetic |
Manpower | Human resources, labour force, staff, personnel, workers, workforce |
Miss/Mrs | Ms unless a specific preference has been stated |
Poetess | Poet |
Policeman/woman | Police Officer |
Right-hand man | Chief assistant |
Salesman/girl/woman | Sales assistant/agent/clerk/representative/staff/worker |
Spokesman/woman | Spokesperson, representative |
Sportsmanship | Fairmess, good humour, sense of fair play |
Steward/ess | Airline staff, flight attendant, cabin crew |
Tax man | Tax officer/inspector |
Waitress | Waiter, server |
Woman doctor | Doctor |
Working man, working mother/wife | Wage-earner/taxpayer/worker |
Workman | Worker/operative/trades person |
Workmanlike | Efficient/proficient/skilful/thorough |
If you don’t care to use the correct comrade wording, there could be disciplinary punishments for dissenting students and staff. So beware, comrades! Smile! Be good to one another! Use better language for the enrichment of our culture and a progression towards our glorious word-correct future!*
* The current ‘Five-Year Plan’
¹ Telegraph, Rachael Pells; University bans phrases such as ‘mankind’ and ‘gentleman’s agreement’ in favour of gender-neutral terms
² Cardiff University; Code of Practice on using Inclusive Language