Gendered Entry 99 / 1011 60-second read

Chairman vs. Chairperson/Chair

Chairman is gender-specific; Chairperson or Chair is the inclusive standard.

The comparisoni

✗ Wrong

The chairman of the board will open the meeting.

✓ Correct

The chair of the board will open the meeting.

The ruleii

CHAIR or CHAIRPERSON is the gender-neutral term for the presiding officer of a group.

'Chairman' was the default for centuries. Many still use it as a 'universal' term, but it implies the position is reserved for men.

Memory aidiii

Remember it like this

The person occupies the CHAIR; therefore, they are the CHAIR.

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