The word man has traditionally been used to refer not only to an adult male but to the whole human race. It has also been used as a suffix and a prefix in a generic sense (e.g., foreman and manpower, respectively). Nevertheless, it is now accepted that this generic use is sexist, excludes women and non-binary people and reinforces gender stereotypes. For these reasons, substitute generic terms containing the word man with a gender-neutral alternative in the manner shown below.



Alternatives to words containing man as a prefix.



Other words containing man do not need to be changed because they are not compounds incorporating the modern gender-specific word man but derivations of the Latin word manus (hand). For example, manage, manipulate, manual, manufacture and manuscript. Likewise, there is no need to find an alternative for the word human because it does not finish with the suffix -man but derives from the Latin word humanus.