The Canadian Style
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- - Close Elimination of Stereotyping in Written Communications
- Introduction
- Elimination of Sexual Stereotyping, Correspondence; names and forms of address
- Parallel treatment
- Pronouns
- Personification
- Titles of occupations
- Man, lady, girl, woman
- Elimination of Sexual Stereotyping, Full range of human characteristics and situations
- Elimination of Racial and Ethnic Stereotyping, Ethnic clichés
- Gratuitous modifiers
- Connotative modifiers
- Elimination of Racial and Ethnic Stereotyping, Identification of groups
- Fair and Representative Depiction of People with Disabilities, Full range of human characteristics and situations
- Fair and Representative Depiction of People with Disabilities, Identification of groups
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14.07 Man, lady, girl, woman
Avoid using the generic man to refer to people in general and, where possible, as part of a compound:
- anybody, anyone not a man
- nobody, no one not no man
- average person not common man
- ordinary people not the man in the street
- writer not man of letters
- staff/operate/run a booth not man a booth
- labour force, personnel, staff, work force not manpower
- synthetic or manufactured not man-made
- humanity, people not mankind
- compatriot not countryman
Unless a minor is referred to or you wish to evoke refinement or high standing, use woman, not girl or lady:
- The men and women of the Administrative Support Division
not
- The men and girls of the Administrative Support Division
- Seventy percent of the delegates were women.
not
- Seventy percent of the delegates were ladies.
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