Gender neutral language–it’s more than just PC

Before

A nominee will be elected if he or she receives a majority of the Class A votes cast.

Once elected, a director holds office until the next Annual Meeting of Stockholders or until his or her successor is elected and qualified, unless he or she first resigns, retires, or is removed.

An NEO’s salary may be adjusted during the fiscal year if he or she experiences a change in role and responsibility.

A representative of PwC will attend the Annual Meeting, will be given the opportunity to make a statement should he or she so desire, and will be available to respond to appropriate questions.

Each stockholder will receive his or her own proxy card.

Before, with commentary

“He or she” and “his or her” are awkward and often add words for no reason. Consider the last example above. Do we care whether the stockholder is male or female? There are (at least) three ways to fix this problem:

  • make the sentence plural (see After #1)
  • make the sentence generic (see After #2 and #5)
  • eliminate the reference altogether (see After #3 and #4).

After

1. Nominees who receive a majority of the Class A votes cast will be elected.

2. Once elected, a director holds office until the next Annual Meeting of Stockholders or until a successor is elected and qualified, unless the director first resigns, retires, or is removed.

3. An NEO’s salary may be adjusted during the fiscal year to reflect a change in role and responsibility.

4. A representative of PwC will attend the Annual Meeting, will be given the opportunity to make a statement, and will be available to respond to appropriate questions.

5. Each stockholder will receive an individual proxy card.