Editing Gender neutrality in English (section)

===Support for===
Supporters of gender-neutral language argue that the use of gender-specific language often implies male superiority or reflects an unequal state of society.<ref>{{harvp|Spender|1980|p=x}}</ref><ref>{{harvp|Miller|Swift|1988|pp=45, 64, 66}}</ref> According to ''The Handbook of English Linguistics'', generic masculine pronouns and gender-specific job titles are instances "where English linguistic convention has historically treated men as prototypical of the human species."<ref name="handbook linguistics">Aarts, Bas and April M. S. McMahon. [https://books.google.com/books?id=tzyAyl1retcC&pg=PA737 ''The Handbook of English Linguistics.''] Malden, MA; Oxford: Blackwell Pub., 2006, {{ISBN|978-1-4051-1382-3}}.</ref> That masculine forms are used to represent all human beings is in accord with the traditional gender hierarchy, which grants men more power and higher social status than women.<ref name="Prewitt-Freilino, Gendering">{{Cite journal |last1=Prewitt-Freilino |first1=J.L. |last2=Caswell |first2=T.A. |last3=Laakso |first3=E.K. |title=The Gendering of Language: A Comparison of Gender Equality in Countries with Gendered, Natural Gender, and Genderless Languages. |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-011-0083-5 |journal=Sex Roles |year=2012 |volume=66 |issue=3–4 |pages=268–281 |publisher=SpringerLink |doi=10.1007/s11199-011-0083-5 |s2cid=145066913 |access-date=14 March 2022|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Supporters also argue that words that refer to women often devolve in meaning, frequently developing sexual overtones.<ref>{{harvp|Spender|1980|p=18}}</ref>

''[[The Handbook of Nonsexist Writing]]'' says that the words children hear affect their perceptions of the gender-appropriateness of certain [[career]]s (e.g. firemen vs firefighters).<ref name="Miller and Swift 1988">{{harvp|Miller|Swift|1988}}</ref> Men and women apply for jobs in more equal proportions when gender-neutral language is used in the advertisement, as opposed to the generic ''he'' or ''man''.<ref name="Mills 1995">{{harvp|Mills|1995}}</ref> Some critics  claim that these differences in usage are not accidental, but have been deliberately created for the purpose of upholding a [[Patriarchy|patriarchal society]].<ref>{{harvp|Spender|1980|pp=1-6}}</ref>