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IUCr statutes

The statutes of the IUCr were written 50 years ago, when the Union was founded, although they have been amended or expanded from time to time since then. All are aware of the huge contributions that women crystallographers have made, and continue to make, to the field, and it seems anachronistic that the language of the statutes is still written in "male-specific" terms. At its recent meeting in Arlington the Executive Committee resolved to change this, and we now seek feedback on this issue. We propose to change all instances of "he" to "he or she", "him" to "him or her", and so on. The word "chairman" we propose to substitute by "chair" (since it is common to chair a committee). We are less certain of this, however, because in its origins the word "chairman" did not have a male connotation. We invite your opinions on these proposals. Please send your views either to me or to Michael Dacombe, Executive Secretary.

Ted Baker
IUCr President