Inclusive Language

Inclusive language aims to avoid unnecessarily gendered, ableist, or otherwise exclusionary wording, adapted to the specific audience, cultural context, and workplace norms rather than applied as a rigid, universal rule set. This skill draws on a curated list used across projects with UN affiliates, government agencies, and multinational organizations.

Gendered role names

A large, systematic pattern: roles ending in -man/-woman commonly have a "-person" or fully distinct alternative — chairperson/chair, salesperson, businessperson, spokesperson, firefighter (not fireman/firewoman), mail carrier (not mailman/mailwoman). The same pattern applies to -boy/-girl endings (busperson/busser not busboy/busgirl) and feminine-marked suffixes -ess/-enne/-ette (actor rather than actress, host rather than hostess) — note some of these retain a real meaning difference in specific cultural/religious contexts (e.g. priest vs. priestess), so check context before assuming a blanket substitution applies.

Pronouns

Singular they/them/their is the standard gender-inclusive substitute for he/she, him/her, his/her when gender is unknown, irrelevant, or the subject's actual pronouns should be used instead of assumed ones. See this session's own guidance: never infer someone's pronouns from their name — use they/them by default unless pronouns are stated.

Disability-related language

The general pattern: person-first language (a person with a disability) over identity-collapsing phrasing (a disabled/handicapped person), though note some disability communities prefer identity-first language for their own group specifically (check current community preference rather than assuming person-first is always correct everywhere). Phase out passive-victim framing ("suffers from," "afflicted by," "confined to a wheelchair") in favor of active, neutral phrasing ("has [condition]," "uses a wheelchair"). Many everyday idioms metaphorically use disability terms in ways worth reconsidering ("that's lame," "I'm so OCD") — these repurpose real conditions as casual negative/positive slang.

Family, wedding, and general terms

Gender-neutral alternatives exist for many common pairs: parent (not mother/father when gender isn't relevant), sibling (not sister/brother), spouse (not husband/wife), child (not son/daughter). Similarly for greetings: "Dear Reader" or "To Whom It May Concern" instead of "Dear Sir/Madam"; "everyone" or "esteemed guests" instead of "ladies and gentlemen."

Technology and business terminology

A specific, practically important set for software/technical writing:

| Phase out | Phase in | | --- | --- | | whitelist / blacklist | accept/reject, allow/disallow, include/exclude | | master / slave (replication, copying) | primary/secondary, source/destination, leader/follower, publisher/subscriber | | master branch (version control) | main branch, trunk branch, default branch | | master table (database) | schema table | | culture fit | values fit | | dummy value | example value, placeholder value |

These specific substitutions are now widely adopted defaults across major tech organizations (see the Inclusive Naming Initiative, involving Cisco, Intel, Red Hat, and others) — for new work, prefer the inclusive term directly rather than the older one; the table exists mainly to help recognize legacy terminology when reading or migrating older code/docs.

Geographic naming

Some place names have been formally changed by the country/region itself (not just a style preference): Czechia (Czech Republic), Türkiye (Turkey), Eswatini (Swaziland), Cabo Verde (Cape Verde) — use the current official name; this is a factual-accuracy matter, not only an inclusivity one.

How to apply this well

• Adapt, don't apply mechanically. The source material explicitly says to adapt the list to your own context, priorities, and cultural sensitivities rather than treating it as a fixed universal rulebook.
• Check for real meaning differences before substituting — a few gendered terms (priest/priestess, some family terms) carry genuine distinctions in specific contexts that a blanket substitution would erase.
• Prefer the terminology a community uses for itself where it's known and available, over a generic external guideline, especially for disability- and gender-identity-related language, which continues to evolve.

Common pitfalls

• Treating this as a rigid rule list to enforce uniformly — context and audience matter; a historical quotation using period-appropriate language, for instance, shouldn't be silently rewritten.
• Assuming person-first language is universally preferred — some disability communities prefer identity-first language for themselves specifically; the "right" choice can be community-specific. specifically.
• Missing the technology-specific terms (master/slave, whitelist/ blacklist) because inclusive-language review often focuses only on gendered pronouns/roles and skips the technical vocabulary that's just as much in scope.
• Using an outdated place or country name out of habit — this is a factual currency issue, not just a style preference.

Learn more

• joelparkerhenderson/inclusive-language — the source for this skill, with extensive term tables by category.
• Inclusive Naming Initiative — the technology-terminology-specific effort referenced above.
• United Nations: gender-inclusive language