: Re: How do I present a future free of gender stereotypes without being jarring or overpowering the narrative? My story takes place in a relatively near future setting where gender stereotypes have

@Holmes449

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Use ungendered titles

In English-speaking countries we have Mr., Mrs., Ms., Miss, and even the old-fashioned Master.

It took me 30 or 40 pages to realize that in the SF book "Dragonsdawn" that both male and female ship officers were referred to as "Mr."

In your new society, you will of course want titles to differentiate people, probably by strata of society. Simply make up ungendered titles to convey levels of honor, analogues to Mr., Sir, Queen, Doctor, Lord, Professor, Friar, Rabbi, General, Senator, Elder, etc., and ungendered words for family relations (cousin and sibling are fine, but you'll need parent, child, uncle, etc., depending on your social structure.)

Your readers will realize quickly that they cannot tell the genders of characters, and then will figure out that none of the characters particularly care, either.

And a note: It bugs me no end that many people have replaced the gendered "Chairman" and "Chairwoman" with the more subtly gendered "Chairman" and "Chairperson" -- I'd rather just refer to someone as the Chair of a meeting or committee. In a society without gendered language, words like "Chairperson" would not evolve naturally.

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