Avoid gendered pronouns (he or she) when the person’s gender is unknown
When using a gendered pronoun (e.g. he or she), the speaker is assuming the gender of the person they are talking about. Often people use gendered pronouns even when they do not know the gender of the person they are talking about or when talking about a group of people that could be of either gender.
This practice perpetuates gender stereotyping by repeating commonly held expectations about the gender of people in certain roles.
Instead you should use gender-neutral language. A common way to do this is to use the plural ‘they’. This is becoming more and more common in standard English.
Examples
Gender-insensitive language
The number of years an electrician will spend training depends on what country he is from.
Gender-neutral language
The number of years an electrician will spend training depends on what country they are from.
Gender-insensitive language
Every nurse should take care of her own uniform and cover the expense herself.
Gender-sensitive language
Every nurse should take care of his or her own uniform and cover the expense themselves.
Your boss needs to know he can rely on you.
Jacob Lund, The gender of my boss, Shutterstock
But my boss is a woman...
Tip: Do not rely on “he/him/man” when talking about an individual in the abstract – this excludes women from the conversation.