The European Parliament is attempting to stamp out the use of words such as “mankind” and “manpower” and have them replaced with more gender neutral terms such as “humanity” and “staff”.

Officials and MEPs in the parliament, which has seats in Brussels and Strasbourg, have been sent a guidebook on using gender-neutral language in communications, EU legislation and interpretation. It calls on them to avoid the “generic use of man”.

“Gender-neutral or gender-inclusive language is more than a matter of political correctness,” the guidebook reads, “Language powerfully reflects and influences attitudes, behaviour and perceptions.”

“Political leaders” should be preferred to “statesmen” and items should be called "artificial" or "synthetic" rather than “man-made”.

“Businessperson” should be chosen over “businessman or businesswoman, according to the guidelines, which were updated from the first edition in 2008. “Chair” should be used instead of Chairwoman. “Chairperson” is discouraged because “the tendency has been to use it only when referring to women.”

The guidebook is at pains to insist that its recommendations are not “binding rules” but just encouragement.

“The use in many languages of the word 'man' in a wide range of idiomatic expressions which refer to both men and women, such as manpower, layman, man-made, statesmen, committee of wise men, should be discouraged,” the guidebook reads.