Biases - Sexes

That's strange because I don't see that at all. All the books and magazines I read always alternate He & she - sometimes even in the same paragraph. Try reading the "What to Expect..." series or "Parents" magazine.

I have to say that I have not noticed this. I have read books regarding pregnancy and such and the baby is referred to as "he" since the M. is a "she" and it's easier to identify who they are referring to...mother or child. Hmm...I wouldn't be offended though. Maybe the writer has a child (she) and they are simply writing from their own experience.

Wow... I never thought I would ever hear a question like this (especially from a woman). Not that there's anything wrong with your observation but for me... growing up in the 60's/70's ~ I was always offended by the fact that it was a "man's world" and everything was written as "he, him, his and himself". And I mean everything! Even our language is male dominated with words like hu"man", wo"man", male, fe"male", "man"kind, and so on. Now... the reverse must be taking place!

Maybe it is because the writers are from the same time period as I come from and still see the world as a male dominated place and want to give the girls a bit more credit.

As an amateur writer myself... I do try to balance both the male and female perspectives (or the he/she factor). I never did agree that males or females should hold more significance over the other (in writing or otherwise) but perhaps there are still some "burn your bra" gal writers out there trying to balance this (still) male dominated world!

Great observation!

Well Pat, there are more females than males, that isn't an assumption. And personally I find that I read an equal amount of both male and female terminology in articles and other information relating to my little one. Could it be that you are reading from the same source over and over and because of that are seeing a word preference? Just a thought. And beyond that - relax, take a breath, and realize that this is totally not worth becoming agitated over.

Babycenter switches it up...sometimes it's she, sometimes it he.

Perhaps you are only atuned to the "shes" you see and the "hes" don't blip on your radar because that is what is NORMAL to you.

Saying it happens all the time is unreasonable, as your well as you being offended by it seems unreasonable.

That's funny, because I've noticed the opposite. I have a girl and it seems that the books I've read say 'he'. I think they just pick one to make it easier for the reader, as opposed to saying he/she all the time, which personally, I think would be more annoying. Probably cuts down on costs for the publisher too, if you think about how much more space it would take up on a page to include both. Another reason is that maybe they're trying to relate to the reader, which most likely, may be female.

That's odd- I always noticed it the other way around.

I noticed the same thing on all of the baby websites as well. It was a little annoying since I'm having a boy. I wish they had an option to customize those articles based on the gender you enter of the child.

It is not a bias. Many authors especially with books will switch back & forth. some times from one chapter to the next (one chapter he, the next is she). In English we do not have a gender neutral form, so we say he or she. some may use the same because that is what they have or just flows out. Pet owners will have the same greivences in regards to articles to. This is done for the same reason.

Even when refering to a group- people ususally say guys- if it make & female.

I've noticed the "he" to "she" ratio to be about equal in everything I've read. A big problem I've noticed with society is that everyone is trying to be "politically correct" as to not offend everyone. It doesn't matter though. Prettying up the way we say things doesn't eliminate the problem because those that want to be offended will be offended no matter how something is said. Try not to let it bother you, because it's not personal. We all see what we want to see.

I was told years ago that the reason they use she instead of he is because it is mostly women reading the books and it would take up to much space in a book to put he/she instead. It is a lot better than one book I read a long time ago where they referred to the baby as it through out the book.

I also have a boy and yes I notice it too...I find myself saying he, him or whatever in my head also as I read;) Not sure what the reason is behind it but don't take it personal....I don't :) hehehehe

I have noticed the same thing.

I think this is a bone that writers throw to people who don't understand that because the English language does not include gender neutral singular pronouns the writer has to pick one.

The other alternatives include writing "he/she", which is cumbersome and more difficult to read, or using 'they' as a gender neutral singular, which is bad grammar.

I don't think it is an anti-male bias, necessarily. More like somebody trying to make up for the offenses taken at older writing using only "he" as a singular pronoun.

All the articles and books that I've read about generalized babies have alternated using both "he" and "she".

I can be frustrating to see more she than he in some articles or books, especially having a son. However, I believe authors are catching on to the dilema and I have a couple books on child development that mentions both sexes. One paragraph says he and the next says her, and they provdie excellent, real examples for both sexes. The Baby Whisperer is excellent (I live by that book) and she also has the Tooler Whisperer as well. Substituting the sex in your mind is about the best we can do at this point. I think it is easier to associate babies as girls and boys as boys....or toddlers since they are more active. Who knows. Maybe you can one day write a book about boys! :)

Hi Pat-
Good writers will alternate, using "he" in one paragraph and "she" in the next. The trend began as a reaction to the standard use of "he" to refer to either sex in traditional English. I have also noticed some sites and articles where the author has entirely failed to use the masculine. I think in terms of sexual equality, we are still trying to find a balance, and that leads to some overcompensation sometimes. Overall, though, I don't think it's detrimental to the sexual identity of our boys :)

i think it is the theory that it is less offensive to say your baby boy is beautiful than you baby girl is handsome. i think most moms of boy have had a million ppl tell them how beautiful she is even with there baby boy dressed all in blue sitting in a blue car seat etc. also the person writing the article may have a girl.

my daughter and i have cats and when i refer to animals i always say he i believe its because my animals have always been males.and she does have some females and she always corrects me and says she when i say he.to me its not a big issue but to her it is.i think its just how we relate.C.

Hi Pat

YES!!!!!! i used to say it all the time with my son . I am sooooo with you . thaks for noticing .I felt a little silly complaining about it but i felt the same way .

I think modern writers are trying to make up for the fact that it was always "he" for so many years. I feel a balance of the two would be best too.

My understanding is that the rule of thumb is to switch the sex every other paragraph. Not sure where you are seeing "she" used more often than it should be, but check again and you may notice that it switches back and forth and maybe the parts you are reading happen to be the ones with "she"--??

Funny, but I often notice that articles I read contain "he" a lotmore than "she" - and I have two daughters! I do the same as you mention, change the sentence in my head to relate better!