Reason for the current trend to use «she» as the gender-neutral pronoun?

Question

There are some questions on gender-neutral pronouns both here and on Writers.

User Christine Letts writes:

In academia, there is currently a movement toward using the feminine pronoun at all times.

I wonder why that is. I came across several examples on papers I read, but the only one I can remember at the moment is a book: Seth Godin's Linchpin. While some might not be comfortable labeling it as part of academia, it suits my point perfectly. Every time he refers to a person, he uses the feminine pronoun.

User Senseful writes the following, potentially identifying affirmative action as the precursor for this trend.

I remember reading somewhere that it was recommended to use the opposite of what most people stereotype the profession as. So, for example, when talking about a chiropractor, you would use "her", and when talking about a secretary, you would use "his".

So, where do you think this trend comes from?

Answer 1

This practice began round about the time of the feminist movement in the late 20th century(c.1980-c.1990)

Taken from the Free Online Dictionary:

Usage Note: Using she as a generic or gender-neutral singular pronoun is more common than might be expected, given the continuing debate regarding the parallel use of he. In a 1989 article from the Los Angeles Times, for instance, writer Dan Sullivan notes, "What's wrong with reinventing the wheel? Every artist has to do so in her search for the medium that will best express her angle of vision." Alice Walker writes in 1991, "A person's work is her only signature."

Wikipedia notes why:

One response to this (use of generic pronoun he) was an increase in the use of generic she in academic journal

Answer 2

I wouldn't call it a trend, if by that you mean "something that's growing noticeably and is likely to become common"; I've seen it only sporadically. Calling a movement--meaning, some people are doing it, without specifying how many — is probably more accurate.

Where it came from philosophically is clear: from a desire to challenge stereotypes. Perhaps more interesting is where is it going — will it catch on?

As for "should be frowned on" — that's an aesthetic/political judgement. I can't see a basis for rendering an academic answer to that.

Answer 3

The trend is a reaction to the cries for gender-neutrality and equity in technical writing. For example, this article says:

Regardless of what you may have been taught in grammar school, the use of masculine third-person pronouns (he/ him/ his/ himself) as generic pronouns is no longer acceptable to many people in business communication. Whatever your own intentions may be, some readers will regard this usage as insulting, insensitive, or at the very least, distracting.

And this one:

While it might be excessive to read history as if every general use of “man” is overtly sexist, today’s culture calls for alternatives.

There are many alternatives suggested by those articles and others, but one of them is to purposefully use "she":

For example, always use he/him/his in odd numbered chapters, and always use she/her/hers in even numbered chapters. This strategy does promote balance and has sometimes been used to good effect in textbooks, but it doesn't solve the real problem of distracting the reader.

Personally I find it very distracting, and also a bit silly. Singular "they" is a far better alternative.

Answer 4

I have found myself using 'one' when gender is unknown - it does sound very old-school, but that way no-one can get offended.

One is a pronoun in the English language. It is a gender-neutral, indefinite pronoun, meaning roughly "a person". For purposes of verb agreement it is a third-person singular pronoun, although it is sometimes used with first- or second-person reference. It is sometimes called an impersonal pronoun. It is more or less equivalent to the French pronoun on, the German man, and the Spanish uno. It has the possessive form one's and the reflexive form oneself.

Answer 5

This use of "she" is virtually universal in American science writing now. The style in my youth was to reflect reality. Now it is to influence reality. Whether science should reflect values conflicting with observed facts (roughly, "truth") is an issue in itself. Also, there is the question of what actual effect is achieved, if any. The more forced the example, the more insincere and ironic the perceived tone. Given those caveats, the answer to the question is that this is the modern style, certainly inspired by the feminist movement, and if a writer wishes to avoid suggestions of misogyny she should conform.