Between '(s)he' & 'he/she' -- which is recommended/ preferable?

When talking about or referring to someone who could either be a male or a female, I usually write it as (s)he but I have also seen usage like he/she, which also seems correct to me.

I use (s)he mostly because I find it shorter (fewer keystrokes). Are both (s)he and *he/she" correct? Any references are welcome.

And could s/he also be used?

Solution 1:

Take a big chunk of your text and print it out in a few different ways, read it, and see which you prefer. There isn't a correct answer here.

Do pay attention to the visual - if you're using the phrase often enough, then your page may look like a mess of /'s or ()'s from a distance.

Personally, I'm biased towards "they" or rewriting so that your pronouns refer to an example person with a defined gender. This doesn't leave anyone out, especially folks who find neither "he" nor "she" to be a good fit for their gender. (Plus it avoids the aforementioned symbol overload.)

Solution 2:

You have asked a dangerous question. I would use he or she. The use of the genderless they is so widely accepted nowadays that questions regarding its use or non-use will not validate in standardized testing and, therefore, agreement is no longer tested on the SAT using the genderless they. S/he looks tawdry to my eye because it is, at best, a novel use of the slash. In the final analysis, the best answer will depend on your audience. If they are in their 60s or older, I'd avoid the use of anything other than "he or she." If they are younger, he or she still allows you to avoid the issue. And I cannot say that they is wrong, despite the fact that hearing it pains my aged ears.