This is why I prefer to use singular they instead. It is less annoying, less likely to make people uncomfortable, and can easily be seen to include people no matter what their gender happens to be. It even includes those whose gender is ambiguous in some way.
It is a small thing, but my world view is that small improvements like this add up to create a more generally welcoming atmosphere.
> there is a good chance of of the other person's programming beliefs may play a big role in their thinking
Check.
Use the male pronoun for hypothetical person in detailed example who needs to be more flexible in his/her thinking?
> this social circumstance may necessitate that he adopt a new viewpoint
Where the female pronoun would sound awkwardly coercive and uninviting?
> this social circumstance may necessitate that she adopt a new viewpoint
Check.
I believe ilaksh has their bases covered.
The upshot is that whining from self-important grammarians notwithstanding, English has always had a third person singular pronoun in common use. It has been used in every century by established writers. Indeed frequently by the same people who were saying that nobody should use it. That pronoun is "they".
My assumption currently is that you do not switch pronouns arbitrarily and as a result were not just as likely to send "social circumstances may necessitate that she adopt a new viewpoint" when writing about an abstract individual programmer.
I know it is annoying to have this brought to attention but my world view includes the notion that small actions like this can have a profound effect at scale.
>social circumstance may necessitate that he adopt a new viewpoint
>when trying to have rational discussions it is necessary to try to dig in to identify all of people assumptions