7 examples of sexist language to avoid in your writing

Professional copywriter Kim Siever highlights 7 ways to avoid sexist language in your writing. Follow along at Sexist stereotyping, despite efforts spanning decades to change it, still exists, and it’s pervasive in how we communicate. Sexist stereotyping — well, stereotyping in general — is a poor way to communicate because it relies on assumptions and generalizations that often don’t apply to the situation at hand. Here are 7 ways to avoid sexism in your own writing, but this is by no means an exhaustive list. 1. Address men and women uniformly If you know the form by which a person prefers to be addressed, use it. If you don’t, address men and women equally. For example, “Mr. Smith” and “Ms. Jones.” (Note, you could use Miss or Mrs, too, if it’s preferred, but I advocate for using Ms whenever possible.) In formal correspondence, don’t use “Dear Messrs.