Question

select the correct answer.
elena is a manager at a construction supply company. she is writing a memo to her sales team in preparation for a major sales initiative. look at this sentence from her memo.
every salesman should make sure he is carrying the client portfolio on his smartphone.
how should elena rewrite this sentence to avoid using stereotypes in her memo?
a. every salesperson should make sure the client portfolio is on his smartphone.
b. every salesman should make sure the client portfolio is on his or her smartphone.
c. every salesperson should make sure the client portfolio is on his or her smartphone.
d. every saleswoman should make sure the client portfolio is on her smartphone.

Explanation:

To avoid stereotypes, we need a gender - neutral term for the salesperson and also a gender - neutral possessive pronoun.

• Option A: Uses "salesperson" which is gender - neutral but still uses "his" which is gender - specific.
• Option B: Keeps "salesman" which is gender - specific (male - oriented) and then uses "his or her". The term "salesman" itself is a stereotype as it assumes salespeople are male.
• Option C: "Salesperson" is gender - neutral and "his or her" is also gender - neutral, so it avoids stereotypes by using inclusive language for both the job title and the possessive pronoun.
• Option D: Uses "saleswoman" which is gender - specific (female - oriented), so it is also a stereotype.

Answer:

C. Every salesperson should make sure the client portfolio is on his or her smartphone.