It may sound insignificant in the scheme of things, but the House of Representatives did something nice for all those who support gender equality. I'm sure Newt Gingrich and Denny Hastert had too much on their minds when they were Speaker to change the language of the House, but Nancy Pelosi took the time to equal things out.
From ThinkProgress:
Of course the actual legislation passed by this new Congress matters far more than a simple rules change for the 435 members of the House. Yet it is still a positive move and frankly, it was always odd to call a woman a Chairman...striking the "man" part works out just fine. Furthermore, it breaks down one of the small institutionalized settings that have helped to favor men over women for centuries.In its new package of rule changes, the House has finally decided to make its official language gender neutral, recognizing the growing representation of women in Congress (including as Speaker of the House). Gone are references to “he,” “chairman,” and phrases such as “his duties.” From the resolution:
Read the full list of changes here (gender neutrality language beginning on p. 9).
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