The Massachusetts
house of representatives has given its initial approval
to a bill that would require all future legislation be
written in language that is gender-neutral.
The one-paragraph
bill says legislation should contain non-gendered
phrases such as "he/she" or "his/her," instead of
following past practice and using the masculine pronoun by
default.
The legislation
was inspired when Rep. Cory Atkins, a Democrat, read a
bill related to nursing more than a year ago and noticed all
the masculine pronouns.
"If you're a guy,
you think this is no big deal. And if you're a woman,
you're insulted, considering we're 52% of the population,"
said Atkins.
Atkins still
remembers how incredulous she was to read masculine pronouns
in a bill related to nursing.
"I thought I must
have picked up the wrong legislation because it was
all 'he' this, 'he' that, when nursing is predominantly a
female profession," she said.
Other states have
adopted a similar practice, and at least a half-dozen
have amended their constitutions to install gender-neutral
language.
Maine changed its
drafting standards in 1988 to adopt gender-neutral
language, with exceptions for bills singling out men or
women in some context. The standards also offer a
series of preferred terms to avoid gendered language.
"Alderman," for
example, is replaced by "municipal officer."
A law professor
said the proposed change is part of a trend in the
business and legal professions. It's been propelled, in
part, by the rise of female executives.
"There are a lot
more women attorneys today than there were 20 or 30
years ago. And there are a lot more men than there were 20
or 30 years ago who would be offended if they thought
something was targeted at men only instead of men and
women," said Richard Bales, a professor at the
Northern Kentucky University law school who has written on
the topic.
Bales added: "You
should avoid even the possibility of offending someone
by redrafting the language. It's not that hard to do."
The Massachusetts
bill was sent to the Committee on Bills in the Third
Reading on Wednesday, meaning it could come back for a vote
before the full chamber at any time. Members expect
support in the senate, where Therese Murray serves as
the first female president in the chamber's history.
(AP)
