Mass. House initially approves gender-neutral law

The one-paragraph bill says legislation should contain non-gendered phrases such as "he/she" or "his/her," instead of following past practice and using the masculine pronoun by default.

The legislation was inspired when Rep. Cory Atkins, a Democrat, read a bill related to nursing more than a year ago and noticed all the masculine pronouns.

"If you're a guy, you think this is no big deal. And if you're a woman, you're insulted, considering we're 52 percent of the population," said Atkins.

Atkins still remembers how incredulous it was to read masculine pronoun in a bill related to nursing.

"I thought I must have picked up the wrong legislation because it was all, `he' this, `he' that, when nursing is predominantly a female profession," she said.

Other states have adopted a similar practice, and at least a half-dozen have amended their constitutions to install gender-neutral language.

Maine changed its drafting standards in 1988 to adopt gender-neutral language, with exceptions for bills singling out men or women in some context. The standards also offer a series of preferred terms to avoid gendered language.

"Alderman," for example, is replaced by "municipal officer."

A law professor said the proposed change is part of a trend in the business and legal professions. It's been propelled, in part, by the rise of female executives.