Writing tip 29: Use ‘they’ instead of ‘he’ or ‘she' (part 1)

It’s all right to use ‘they’ as a singular pronoun (instead of ‘he’ or ‘she’) to avoid gender stereotyping.

Although the English language doesn’t have a gender-neutral singular pronoun, most English speakers already use ‘they’, so it sounds quite natural.

Using a combination such as ‘he/she’ or ‘he or she’ can be long-winded and confusing, so ‘they’ is usually the best option. You can avoid gender stereotyping by making the whole sentence plural and using ‘they’.

Examples

A manager should what they are doing.
Managers should know what they are doing.

An alternative to using ‘they’ is to change from the third person (‘he’ or ‘she’) to the second person (‘you’) if this is appropriate for what you are writing.

Example

You should know what you are doing.

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