Gender is a grammatical term. It’s meant to describe a range of different characteristics that pertain to or differentiate between masculinity and femininity.
Depending on the context used for these descriptions, options like “man” and “men:” are used to describe everything from sex-based social structures to biological sex.
It is even a component of gender identity. Some societies have genders besides “man” and “woman” that fall outside of the generic terms.
Although intersex, transgender, and other people have become more prominent in Western society and culture in recent years, the Hijra on the Indian subcontinent has a recorded history that dates to antiquity and official recognition as a third gender.
Understanding the difference between plural and singular helps writers and speakers make the right choice with these descriptions.
What Is the Difference Between “Man” and “Men”?
When you talk about a “man,” you’re describing one male person. That means you could say it is “one man” or “a man.” When discussing “men,” you’re talking about more than one male person. It could be a specific number, such as “five men,” or a generic term, such as “some men.”
This difference between “man” and “men” also applies to “woman” and “women.” The first option is singular, while the second is plural.
Gender differences play a role in this description, but a person’s pronouns can differ while still describing one individual.
That’s why using the actual noun instead of a pronoun is sometimes essential when talking or describing each person.
Nonbinary gender identity follows slightly different rules when discussing individual descriptions. It’s one term of serval used to experience a third option that might not be exclusive to man or woman.
Many nonbinary individuals self-identify as genderqueer, agender, genderfluid, or an entirely different description. Although society groups these individuals into a broad transgender category, some people don’t feel comfortable with that identification.
That’s because the traditional definition of a transgender individual was a narrow description of changing from a man to a woman or from a woman to a man.
Why Does Gender Identity Matter in Today’s Language?
Cisgender people are individuals who identify as being of the same sex correlated to them at birth. That means if you were a boy, you’d grow up to see yourself as a man.
When you are born a girl, you would grow up to see yourself as a woman.
It is essential to remember that gender identity and gender expression are two different concepts. The first is a deeply rooted sense of self that comes from internal sources. The second is how individuals present themselves to others, even if it doesn’t correspond to their “naturally born” gender.
That’s why someone can be a biological male, but still not be accurately represented by the term “man” in formal writing.
Gender is also different from sexual orientation or sex.
Sex is a person’s biology, including their hormonal, anatomical, and chromosomal makeup. Gender is more of a socially constructed term that involves cultural, social, and environmental influences.
Sexual orientation involves a person’s interest in the same, similar, or different genders when seeking relationships. Some people have attractions to individuals who prefer no gender.
People of any sex, whether a man, woman, or another gender, can express any identity and orientation. Those concepts are independent of each other.
How Are These Concepts Different from Pronouns?
In the English language, nouns are a person, place, or thing in the most simplistic terminology. If you don’t want to use the direct name or description of a noun, you must replace that term with another that offers an accurate description.
That process is how you come to the inclusion of pronouns while speaking or writing.
If you have a man to talk about, the typical pronouns would be “he” or “him.” When you have a woman to describe, you would say “she” or “her.”
Other gender pronouns are available to use, especially when describing someone who doesn’t view themselves as cisgender.
Here are some examples of gender-inclusive and gender-neutral pronouns that can replace “man” or “men” in conversations and writing. Since they’re a neutral option, that means they can also replace “woman” and “women” for the same reasons.
| He/She | Him/Her | His/Her | His/Hers | Himself/Herself |
| Zie | Zim | Zir | Zis | Zieself |
| Sie | Sie | Hir | Hirs | Hirself |
| Ey | Em | Eir | Eirs | Eirself |
| Ve | Ver | Vis | Vers | Verself |
| Tey | Ter | Tem | Ters | Terself |
| E | Em | Eir | Eirs | Emself |
When you ask someone about their pronouns if they identify outside of the standard cisgender definitions, the sequences you see above correspond to formal writing. If you only have one matching pronoun, you’d use the others in the same horizontal list for other descriptive terms.
Some people might prefer to use pronouns from different sequences. That option is also available because language is a construct in its formation. Although we have generalized terms and processes to use, what makes it such an accurate communication form is that it also gets individualized.
◼️ Individualized Pronouns Are Not a 21st Century Concept
Although critics of individualized pronouns sometimes say that these terms are “invented” or a modern creation, that isn’t the case.
The first English gender-neutral pronouns appeared in the language in 1789 with the inclusion of “ou.” It’s a shortened form of “you” used to replace expressions of he, she, or it.
This pronoun comes from John of Trevisa, a 14th century writer who used the Middle English epicene “a.” It can even be modified to become “heo” or “sheo” based on a desire to add more masculinity or femininity to the terms.
When Should I Use “Man” or “Men”?
“Man” is the term to use when referring to a single individual who self-identifies as a male being or is the adult version of a cisgender male. “Men” is the term to use when more than one individual with this identity is referenced as the sentence’s subject. It can include cisgender and non-cisgender people together.
When you understand the difference between singular and plural, you’ll know when to use “man” or “men.”
Although these terms do not apply to everyone, it is a start to understanding how English distinguishes between nouns and pronouns.