Re: Steal a Level: gender specific?
As I was taught it back in the '70s, '80s, and even into the '90s, English officially uses male pronouns when gender is unknown and appropriate to use (inanimate objects don't have gender in English). There has been a concerted effort to change that, but I don't know if it is technically correct to say that the selection is arbitrary. It's now, certainly the common use to use whichever, but in either case, your friend's argument is invalid.
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