To not (yet) understand the purpose of pronouns in emails?

[Bobby80]

I'm aware this is a sensitive topic for some but I'm looking for some education on this. I didn't want to post in the gender issues boards as I thought I might come across as very ignorant and maybe I am! I also wanted a broad 'audience'.

Pronouns in emails- what's the purpose? Should I have my pronouns in my work email signature? We have no guidance on it at work so some people do and some don't. I don't feel the need personally to have a pronoun in mine but wouldn't want to offend others. Is the purpose of it for the send ie me or for the receiver or both? Is it really meaningful or a box ticking exercise?

It's come in handy in my office where I and three members of senior management happen to have gender neutral names.

If we'd had them in emails three years ago when I joined, it would have saved me quite a lot of embarrassing emails and awkwardness.

Depends where you work, really.

Tbh I'm not sure that currying favour with senior staff is a good basis for making moral decisions.

I do it so those that want/need to can. I don't see why anyone has a problem with what another person puts on their email signature. But clearly, there are those that have issues that no one else can figure out.

You read your quote and don't see how I thought you were trying to speak for all women? I would be confused but the rest of the post makes it quite clear you wilfully misunderstand statements when it suits you.

It's is not your support of pronouns which is misogynistic, it's your assertion that people who don't support them are anti trans, which simply isn't true. My point about self respect is connected to the very same point, I will not accept being branded anti trans because I'm pro women. If you are unhappy about some of your views being labelled misogynistic when you feel you are just supporting trans people then you will understand how unfair this feels.

I am not being critical of women I'm being critical of gender idealogues who refer to women, who understand their rights are predicated on an understanding of them as a sex class, as anti trans.

You cannot fight for women's rights if you include men in that group, women's rights become meaningless.

I lived with a trans person for 5 years, I must have hidden my anti trans sentiments really well.

You're not going to get reasonable or non biased replies on AIBU

Oh, but there are reasonable and non biased replies (surely that should be unbiased, but I digress). It's just that some of the people reading them are so blinkered that they are incapable of seeing reason when it is in front of them.

If you’ve managed so far in your life without using them you don’t need them. If anyone gets offended that’s their issue not yours

I don't care particularly, but I fail to see how it is useful. I have never once had an work email that refers to me using pronouns. I can not fathom a scenario that would, for example:
"Linda, please could your female self action the attached"
"Linda, as a woman, I would appreciate your feedback" etc etc.
It's always "you" or "your" and fairly formal in my workplace!
I can maybe see an email trail.. "Linda sent me an email and I replied to her stating..." (although in my workplace it would surely be a curt "please see email trail. I replied to Linda on the 7/9...")

It's simply about telling others how you wish to be addressed/referred to. It helps to prevent unintentional upset.

I don't get why you'd ask this on Mumsnet, you know the answers you're going to get here!

1. Judges have told female victims in UK courts that they must refer to their assailants by their preferred pronouns.
2. 'Transgender' is not a protected characteristic - it's gender reassignment and I'm not sure what's that got to do with pronoun declarations? Having pronouns in signature does not indicate transgender status. That's the whole point isn't it?
3. Not believing in gender identity / being gender critical is confirmed as a protected belief under EA 2010 - see Forstater v CGD Europe and Bailey v Garden Court Chambers.

Absolute rubbish, this isn’t the reason at all.

Thanks, this is helpful information.

Are you calling people who don't put their pronouns in their signature transphobic? Bit of a leap.

If I get an email with pronouns I roll my eyes. I'm hardly going to use her/she in my response so don't see the point. I've never been asked to add them to my emails, thank god, and never will. HTH.

@cobblerwobbler I'm not transphobic. I don't see the point in pronouns in emails. HTH.

I don't really get it either. And the people at work who do this are quite obviously the biological sex that matches their preferred pronouns with unambiguous names, so what exactly are they trying to achieve.

Because a belief in gender identity as opposed to sex leads to watering down and erasure of womens rights and protections. If you include male bodied people in your definition of ‘women’ we are lost.

How does it hurt women?

Talk to the woman who was raped on an NHS ward and to add to her trauma was not believed because it was recorded that there were ‘no men’ on the ward at the time. Her attacker claimed to be a woman and people were unquestionably ‘kind’ like you.

I don't like it personally. My line of work is one where most people are very very woke and there is huge pressure to state pronouns in your email. It's to show you are a teams ally. Personally, I think pressuring people to state their pronouns forces people who may be unsure of their gender to pick one.

I think it's ridiculous and all the people I work with that do this are straight, non transgender people who identify with the gender they were born with, but who feel it's the right thing to do.

I am afraid I will soon be forced to state my pronouns, but my name is very obviously female, and if people don't know me and wonder what my gender is (it's a name you really wouldn't wonder about - think Mary or Charlotte), I personally can't see why they need to know my gender anyway.

Sorry trans ally, not teams ally!

I don't use pronouns and I have a unisex name.

It matters not a jot to me what sex people think I am. It makes no difference to the conversations I'm having professionally.

I also don't understand it because I can't understand whether it matters when I'm emailing someone what sex I am?

fairplayforwomen.com/pronouns/

Perfectly expressed.