personneutral

Personneutral is a term used to describe language, design, and policies that avoid making assumptions about the gender or other identities of people. It aims to be inclusive by preventing gendered biases from shaping communication, representation, or access. The concept encompasses pronoun choices, terminologies, and phrasing across contexts.

Common personneutral practices in writing include using gender-neutral pronouns, such as they/them as a singular pronoun, and replacing gendered terms like man or mankind with neutral alternatives such as person, people, humanity, or humankind. Job titles are often revised to be gender-neutral (for example, firefighter, police officer, chair instead of chairman).

In policy and design, personneutral approaches may guide how forms are structured, how workflows are described, and how interfaces accommodate diverse identities, including offering pronoun options. Adoption varies by country, industry, and culture. Proponents argue that personneutral language reduces bias and increases accessibility; critics point to potential ambiguity, resistance to change, or stylistic concerns.

The concept overlaps with related terms such as gender-neutral language and inclusive language. It also intersects with debates about the practicality of pronoun usage and the challenge of applying neutral terms in languages with grammatical gender or complex gender systems. The term personneutral is used in academic and professional discussions to describe a broad aim of neutrality toward gender and identity in communication and design.