Ixnay to these Names
Updated February 21, 2017 | Factmonster Staff 
There are many names in the English language that exclude or are offensive to females. Take a look at this list of exclusionary words and their alternatives.
| Exclusionary | Nonexclusionary |
|---|---|
| Adman | Ad writer |
| Brotherhood of man | Humankind, human family |
| Caveman | Cave dweller |
| Chairman | Chair, chairperson |
| Cleaning lady | House cleaner |
| Common man | Human, common citizen |
| Cover girl | Cover model |
| Fatherland | Homeland |
| Fireman | Firefighter |
| Fisherman | Fisher |
| Forefather | Ancestor |
| Foreman | Supervisor |
| Founding fathers | Founders |
| Leading lady | Lead |
| Mailman | Mail carrier, postal worker |
| Man about town | Worldly person |
| Man in the street | Average person |
| Mankind | Humankind, humanity |
| Man-made | Artificial |
| Manned | Staffed, piloted |
| Manpower | Work force, employees |
| Manpowered | Human powered, people powered |
| Old wives' tale | Superstition, folktale |
| Policeman | Police officer |
| Showgirl | Performer, dancer |
| Stewardess | Flight attendant |
| Waterboy | Water carrier |
| Weatherman | Weather forecaster, meteorologist |
Gender-Specific Language
In 1984 the Minnesota State Legislature ordered that all gender-specific language, which only refers to one gender, usually males, be removed from the state laws. After two years of work, the rewritten laws were adopted. Only 301 of 20,000 pronouns were feminine. “His” was changed 10,000 times and “he” was changed 6,000 times.
