...of both sexes, the rule goes that the masculine form is assumed to include both men and women. There are other gender specific words that are suppose to be inclusive of both sexes, such as "mankind." However, in their essay "Who's in Charge of the English Language?" authors Casey Miller and Kate Swift present an eloquent argument that the use of the masculine form has never succeeded in its goal of being inclusive, that such use of language is distinctly and irrevocably biased. Some people shrug off the feminist complaint about genderized language; however, a close examination of Miller and Swift's arguments shows that these arguments are very difficult to dispute.
Basically, Miller and Swift argue that the structure of English reflects the patriarchal focus of society. They assert that English has an androcentric focus due to the fact that the society it has been dominated by males and, therefore, it is natural for patriarchal societies to reflect a "male-centered" perspective. Well into the twentieth century, women had few...