Writing can be made awkward by switching genders, but too much of one gender pronoun may be inappropriate.
Depending on what type of audience your writing is intended for, whether it’s for interoffice communications, an email or for publication, the use of gender-specific pronouns can be confusing. There was a time when using “he” was considered a universal way to refer to people. Masculine pronouns were used so often that people understood them to be applicable to women as well. These pronouns were often used in general terms, when no specific person was meant.
The New Etiquette: Gender Specific Pronouns
In recent decades, there has been a revolt against exclusively using the word “he” to refer to a person in general terms. The new etiquette became to occasionally use the word “she.” Of course, after a while, using "she" became so prevalent that other alternatives were sought for a generalized pronoun. One of the words developed was s/he. This term was universal, applying to either gender easily and will little confusion. However, it didn’t take off as well as expected by many English professors and newspaper editors, and it's now rarely used.
Alternating Genders
Another way to keep both genders happy is to use the terms “he” and “she” in an alternating fashion. The first reference would be one of them; the next reference would be the other, and so on. This is often used today, though it can still cause some confusion. When the gender is switched so often during the course of a work, it can make it feel scattered and unfocused.
One way that many use to combat the gender problem is to work both of them into the phrase as unobtrusively as possible. One example of this is “if a gardener wants to plant beets, he or she can till the soil with…” This can work well a few times during a piece but if it's used in every sentence it becomes a tedious and awkward phrase.
New Pronoun Usage
One trend that has been growing is the use of “their” as a singular pronoun. This is contrary to the correct usage of the word, which as of now is strictly plural, but its use as the singular is growing. Many publications now allow the use of the pronoun in that way, and non-professional writing is following the trend. With the use of “their” as a singular word, the problem is solved. No gender switching or awkward phrasing is needed. No one is offended with this technique, except perhaps the grammar aficionados who have not yet accepted this usage.
Related article: The Proper Word Usage of Hopefully
