A chairman is the person who leads a meeting, committee, or organization. They guide discussions, make sure rules are followed, and often represent the group to others.
From 'chair' (seat of authority) plus 'man', originally referring to the person occupying the main chair in a meeting. The role name grew out of the physical image of someone seated in the central position.
The word literally means 'the man in the important chair', which is why many groups now use 'chair' or 'chairperson' instead. It’s a great example of how a simple piece of furniture became a symbol for leadership and then for gender debates in language.
“Chairman” arose when leadership roles were overwhelmingly held by men, and the term itself encodes that male default. As more women and non-binary people entered leadership, the term came to be seen as inaccurately gendered in many contexts.
Avoid “chairman” as a generic term. Use the person’s actual title if they use it, but otherwise prefer gender-neutral forms like “chair” or “chairperson.”
["chair","chairperson","head","leader"]
Replacing “chairman” with neutral titles reflects and supports women’s and non-binary people’s presence in leadership rather than treating them as exceptions.
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