generic pronouns

I am TAing Sociology of Gender this quarter, and last week we learned about the generic use of pronouns. Typically, we default to the masculine version of a pronoun when we speak. For example, let's say that you saw a dog and you didn't know its gender. You would probably say, "he's a cute dog." Or let's say that you found someone's lost pen. You would probably say, "did someone lose his pen?" Or let's say you're driving down the road and someone forgets to use his/her indicator. You would probably think to yourself, "he forgot to use his signal light." You get the idea. This is how masculinity becomes the norm in our society. We use masculine pronouns without even thinking about it. Sometimes we try to get around gender prounouns by saying "they," but unless we are talking about a plural form, using "they" is just bad grammar.

Usually we default to use the masculine version of a pronoun, except when it comes to objects like cars. Or ships or boats. Or babies. Then, we use the feminine pronoun. "she runs really nice" or "she's a great car" or "she's got a few more miles left on her" So, when we are referring to an object to be used or controlled, or humans in a dependent and helpless position, we default to the feminine pronoun. Just an observation.

I am in the middle of purchasing a car right now, and I watched Star Trek over the weekend. The guy who showed me a car referred to it as a "she" and the USS Enterprise was also referred to as "she" in the movie.