Women who use 'she/her' ??

[WineGetsMeThroughIt]

I've noticed this in many social media profiles, but I also saw it used today in an email signature from someone in a professional agency I'm working with. Why do women (who are very clearly women from their Instagram pictures or their own names) use '(she/her)' in their bio / signature after their name? Am I missing something here? Isn't it obvious? What is the point of this? Just really seems stupid to me, but then perhaps I've completely missed something...? 🤷‍♀️

Example of the signature:

Isabelle Winter (she/her) • Senior Account Executive

I won't be adding (she/her) to email signatures, linked in profiles etc.

I have a friend who has done it, and my first thought was "what the actual fuck?"

Tbh, sometimes I catch sight of myself on zoom and think the only accurate pronoun is ‘it’, so if push comes to shove, I might choose that.

It is incredibly rude to refer to a person by a pronoun! If they are on the room, use their name. If they aren’t there doesn’t matter what pronoun you use.

@MistySkiesAfterRain

It's so that if (for example) Sam Jones, a transgender male, wanted to put he/him they would feel comfortable about it because its been normalised.

Personally I have a client group some of whom might not like it.

Why on earth would a trans person choose a unisex name? They're the last people to be rejecting obviously male/female names ime.

Because they're twats.

I noticed a woman at work who is a lesbian, and has previously been very active raising money for womens/lesbian charities, has attached pronouns to her signature.
I don't get why she would see it as a progressive thing to do, as someone who looks and acts like she knows that gender is all a load of bollocks.

I’d say about a fifth of my colleagues have pronouns on their email signatures. A senior leader, very clearly female, introduced herself on an all staff call on Trans Day of Visibility as “Smita Patel, and my pronouns are she/her”.

I think the view from the top is that it’s a way of signalling to trans colleagues (of whom we do have a small number in the very large org I work in) that we value them - I’ve heard senior staff explicitly say it’s about making trans colleagues feel comfortable and to show them we will treat them well. It’s not actually because anyone is under any doubt that non-trans Joanne or non-trans Keith are a woman and man respectively.

I put on an all-staff chat during one of these all-staff calls (attendees: probably over 1,000) that I wasn’t comfortable with putting my pronouns in my signature, but that I did believe all colleagues had the right to be respected, and so could I put “I respect everyone’s human rights” in my signature. My comment stayed for a bit, a few people liked it, there was another comment about needing to value trans colleagues and then my comment was deleted by the moderator…

Why would anyone need to know what your gender is in an office? As a woman I can be quite certain it would just be used against me. Idiocy is the only explanation I can think of for woman doing this.

Company policy and complete bullshit. I emailed a local university the other week and they all had it in their signatures. I couldn't work for someone who forced that on their staff.

@Frazzledfranny

Some companies are insisting on it. Like the NHS

I work for the NHS. I've not been forced to do this. It was strongly recommended that we did it. Many of my colleagues have done it. I won't be doing it until I get told I have to. Which I don't think will happen.

In my field 90% of people share their pronouns and it’s considered bad form not to, especially if you’re a white adult female (you’ll be automatically labelled a middle class white feminist as an insult regardless of your background).

I had a bit of an issue with a certain application I had made where I didn’t include pronouns (I genuinely don’t care how anyone refers to me in my absence) and trans friend of mine came to my defence. He was telling me that they thought it bad practice to make sharing pronouns compulsory because it forced people to declare pronouns sometimes before they were ready, that it outed people who were transitioning at work or it forced those who are not yet out to use inappropriate pronouns so a bio-male using he/his when they consider themselves a trans woman which could be traumatic for them.

Now I’m am not a big fan of pronouns in emails or forcing personal identity on others whatever it is you identify as but I have used my friends explanation as to why I don’t include pronouns in social media or work communications. So now when asked I just say I haven’t fully decided yet - ties in with the need to support this ideology but allows me to not have to declare.

It’s so that anyone who employs her knows to pay her less than those who have the pronoun he/him.

Just came back to this. Ok. I get it now. But don't agree with it and think it's a bunch of bollocks like others have said. I guess it's acceptable if you are actually the person in question who perhaps might be called Sandra and identifies as a He. But I don't think everyone needs to be jumping on the bandwagon.

Also had no idea some companies made this compulsory. I just assumed she did it on her own accord. Perhaps she did. But if I was working for a company like that I'd do everything I could to avoid using.

To quote Titania McGrath: He-Man reeked of toxic masculinity, but at least he was progressive enough to announce his pronouns

Load of virtue signalling bollocks.

Plus there is research showing that reminding the world of work that you are female is to women's detriment 😩

New patriarchy works just as well as the old patriarchy!

What I want to know is, why would anybody want to know my 'gender' (or even my sex) from my work signature? Why does it matter to them?

I have added Mrs to my email signature (just in case my first name is not feminine enough).

My industry will likely introduce this. I am coming to the end of my career and shall be tempted to put "I/me" or simply "I'm not the cat's mother, just use my name please".

@titchy. Why on earth would a trans person choose a unisex name? They're the last people to be rejecting obviously male/female names ime.
Because they are entitled to be called whatever name they choose, likewise if they wish to announce their preferred pronouns they are equally entitled to do this.

They do it so you know they are virtue signalling handmaidens, who will do whatever they can to make men happy even if it means shafting women.

Helps you know who not to trust.

Ad pp have mentioned, both sex and any gender reassignment are protected characteristics. Therefore it would not be legal t mandate anyone declare then somewhere public like an email signature.

What would you respond if you were asked to include your sexuality, religion, age or ethnicity in your email signature? Or declare any disabilities?

No. Not legal.

If / when I'm asked to I'll probably ignore it initially, and if pushed I'll give the reply about not wanting to announce my female status to people as it will detriment me. I'm Dr and have a traditionally male name so no way am in removing this advantage.

If really pushed I will say, quite truthfully, that I've done various 'what is my gender' quizzes online and got all sorts of different genders, never 'woman', and I haven't decided the most appropriate because none of them seem to fit, so I'd rather not announce a gender / pronouns because its all bobbins

Why do they have to use two though? If it's SHE, then it would obviously be HER. It's not like anyone will use she/him????

If people W at to out their pronouns in their email signatures that’s up to game it’s when companies insist that it’s a real issue.

My DH and his colleagues have been told they must put their chosen pronouns in their email signatures. So far he has resisted - he has a very obviously male name so no ambiguity there and he doesn’t see it as pertinent to him. He does think that he will son be forced to do it though....

[quote WestendVBroadway]**@titchy. Why on earth would a trans person choose a unisex name? They're the last people to be rejecting obviously male/female names ime.
Because they are entitled to be called whatever name they choose, likewise if they wish to announce their preferred pronouns they are equally entitled to do this.[/quote]
Yes of course. But it would be pretty unusual. Most TW adopt typically female names where the correct pronoun would be obvious. Once David has become Barbara I think it's pretty clear what Barbara's pronouns should be - no need for them to be announced at the bottom of an email.

@stickygotstuckWhat I want to know is, why would anybody want to know my 'gender' (or even my sex) from my work signature? Why does it matter to them?
Have you failed to see the irony of your last sentence? Why does it matter to them?

It doesn't, yet here you are getting worked about it !