'Françaises, Français': Why the French language need not be so sexist

[MineralMan]

14. Yes. Writers and editors have to pay a lot of attention to usage.

I used to review word processing software for PC World as part of my job as a freelance contributing editor. I was a tough reviewer, and actually tested every aspect of the software, unlike many who just rewrote press releases about new versions. That was what PC World expected, so it was what I delivered.

The second year of reviewing Microsoft Word for Windows 2.0, I took a look at the program's thesaurus feature, new in that version. I wasn't looking for anything in particular, but I tested the words "man" and "woman" as part of the review. For "man," Word had dozens of synonyms, all positive. It included words like "boss, manager, hero" etc. For woman, though, it had only a few, including "wife, secretary, nurse, mistress," and several other words with negative connotations.

So, I included screen shots of those entries in the published review of the software, called them out as sexist, and gave the Editor's Choice to a different program. Microsoft was not amused, and shot off nastygrams to the magazine. I got called by the panicky publisher of the magazine. I explained that it was all part of my thorough review, and an accurate representation of the feature. I referred to the list of synonyms for "boy" and "girl" offered by the software, as well, which were just as egregious. Microsoft argued that they had purchased the thesaurus information from a third party. I shrugged and answered with, "It is what it is. Screen shots don't lie."

I kept my job. Microsoft got a new thesaurus supplier for the next release. Such was the power of freelance reviewers back in that time.