chair/ -man/ -woman

[Jonathan Lighter]

Now that I think of it, I can recall (1980s) when "Chairwoman" was a no-no
because it sounded kind of like "Charwoman."

That may have started as a joke (I hope so), but the woman who mentioned it
to me seemed quite serious.  She preferred "Chair."

JL

On Wed, Apr 18, 2012 at 11:21 AM, Dan Goncharoff <thegonch at gmail.com> wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Dan Goncharoff <thegonch at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: chair/ -man/ -woman
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I believe these titles are usually listed in entity by-laws or similar
> articles of incorporation.
>
> DanG
>
>
> On Wed, Apr 18, 2012 at 11:12 AM, Baker, John <JBAKER at stradley.com> wrote:
>
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       "Baker, John" <JBAKER at STRADLEY.COM>
> > Subject:      Re: chair/ -man/ -woman
> >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> >        It's a word that seems to give a lot of trouble to people when
> it's
> > applied to a woman.  In my day job, I deal with and write about the
> > Securities and Exchange Commission.  The current Chairman of the SEC is
> > Mary Schapiro, who, as her name may suggest, is of the feminine
> persuasion.
> >  I always write "Chairman," because that's her legal title.  News
> reports,
> > however, often refer to her as "Chair" or "Chairwoman."
> >
> >        "Chairman" does seem to have become more commonly used than when
> > she first took office, though.  Maybe reporters and editors just got more
> > comfortable with it, or realized it's her actual title.
> >
> >
> > John Baker
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf
> > Of Jonathan Lighter
> > Sent: Wednesday, April 18, 2012 9:49 AM
> > To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> > Subject: chair/ -man/ -woman
> >
> > Amy Kremer is Chairman of Tea Party Express.
> >
> > When she appeared on CNN this morning, Soledad O'Brien introduced her as
> > "Chairman...[then dubiously] Is that  'Chairman' or 'Chairwoman'?'
> > Kremer sounded nonplussed: "Either one."
> >
> > After the break, O'Brien reintroduced her as "ChairMAN" of the Tea Party
> > Express (her emphasis).
> >
> > So female "chairman" is now regarded as so weird/ sexist/ Neanderthal
> that
> > it requires not only confirmation but heavy emphasis.
> >
> > JL
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >
>
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