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Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!seismo!rlgvax!cvl!andie
From: andie@cvl.UUCP (Diane L. Donaldson)
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Re: feeling/being left out
Message-ID: <550@cvl.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 10-Aug-83 11:21:48 EDT
Article-I.D.: cvl.550
Posted: Wed Aug 10 11:21:48 1983
Date-Received: Fri, 12-Aug-83 11:25:01 EDT
Organization: U. of Md. Computer Vision Lab
Lines: 32

The problem with using "he" for "he/she" is that children
often don't understand the distinction.  In some recent study or
other, elementary school children were given a list of
"neutral" sentences using the pronoun "he" (such as
"Will each student return his book?"  Over 60% of them
interpreted the "he" to mean that the students were male.
This attitude has an unfortunate tendency to carry over
later in life.  Although I try to watch my own speech,
I myself sometimes jump to conclusions when I hear certain
"sex-oriented" nouns, such as lawyer (male), nurse (female).
And a sentence such as "Will each student return his book"
can sometimes catch me too.  When I realize what has happened,
I don't immediately think, "Oh, what a neurotic nerd I am to
think that a fireman is a man";  instead I think "Oh, what a 
stupid system that has made what should be a neutral choice
biased towards one sex or the other, thus causing confusion."

So, what do you mean by harmful?  If "harmful" can mean
"causes confusion in the listener or reader", then yes, using
"he" for "he or she" is harmful.

Incidentally, I suspect there are very few people that haven't 
been caught by the he = male trap at some time or another.
That's why I always use "they".

					Diane
					...seismo!rlgvax!cvl