Presumptions about gender ... not a trans thread!

[BringOnTheScience]

This is NOTHING to do with trans issues!!! If you think it is, stop reading now.

In many threads that I post on, I always refer to my children as DC1 and DC2, and use they/them in the singular. This is particularly the case in education areas as DC1 is doing minority subjects in a minority qualification. Their subject combination is unique right now. I know that I am perfectly identifiable by cross-referencing my posts, but I don't need to make it easy to identify the DCs.

I've noticed that multiple posters reply saying DS, and use he/him.

Why is there the presumption that DC/they is masculine?

Genuinely want to know!

I think people just don't read, don't notice.

I've seen threads where the OP talks about DC, but also uses male or female pronouns, yet some posters will use the opposite pronoun. Sometimes the OP even uses DS or DD, yet posters use the wrong one.

I'm sure that, in some cases, the poster has forgotten that little detail - I know I do, though in that situation I would use the neutral DC/they. But in English the male pronouns have always been the default single pronouns when the sex is unknown or irrelevant.

I think there can be various reasons:
Female as the 'second sex'
Stereotyping (if the subjects are of types some consider masculine)

And in the case of multiple posters, I guess it only takes one or two to make an assumption (or even a typo) and others may follow suit.

It doesn't always happen, I've had neutrally phrased threads on education stay neutral.

Confusion from old suffers like me.

I hate the acronyms and don’t use them.

I sometimes have no idea who the op is talking about with all the DSS GN or whatever. I hate it.

Son, daughter, Husband, great niece - it’s not hard.

😁 I used to do the same. If fact sometimes I have given them different genders just in case. I used to swap to different usernames too. Then I decided I was probably confusing myself more than protecting DCs. My Dd (or is he?!😁) is doing a minority course and I have probably let slip quite a lot but would never say the course on here. However if it was something more sensitive than Uni stuff, I would NC again. I applaud you managing to keep neutral.

Male is the default - same reason people tend to say “oh look what he’s doing” if they see a squirrel or something.