I've found that requests for gender neutral or inclusive language are often met with eye rolls. And not just from men.

I should know - as a college sophomore, I rolled my eyes big time when my Psychology of Gender professor said that using terms like "mankind" helped to sustain gender inequality. I still have my notes to prove it: "Obviously mankind refers to men and women." It wasn't until she had us engage in a brief thought experiment that I really understood her point.

It was simple: what do you picture when you think of "man" discovering fire?