How best to answer 'What are your preferred pronouns?' in an intervew

[NancyDrawed]

I have been out of the workforce for a very long time but finally have an in-person interview later this week.

The confirmation email is signed by a name followed by (he/him/his). I need to get a job. But I am trying to get my head around what I would say if I was directly asked what my preferred pronouns are.

On principle I would like to say 'I'm not a follower of that ideology so use whichever you see fit' or something along those lines, but is that likely to mean I have no chance of getting the job?

I am clearly female, so a small part of me would want to say he/him/his just to see the reaction!

It might not even come up at all, but I'd like to be prepared.

Pronouns are obviously not an ideology and nobody on here is suggesting they are. However, the notion of preferred pronouns is very much an ideology.

I think you know that's what posters mean when they refer to it as an ideology though...

Yes, this is a good answer.

Personally, I would think Alex was an idiot not to take advantage of her ambiguous name given the research that shows males are taken more seriously in the workplace.

In an interview for a job you really want? I don't believe you.

Well let’s all start using pronouns then. I’m not about to bed over backwards and Be Kind to pander to a trans.

She/Her

If you're a woman then she / her is standard. I don't think it's weird to answer with that.

But the OP is not a man, so she won't be asking them to do this.

If you're a woman then she / her is standard. I don't think it's weird to answer with that.

Only genderists say "my pronouns are she/her!". It's not "standard" at all.

Ds was asked in an interview for a residential assistant in university accommodation. He had shown me the email from the senior RA who was on the interview panel and I warned him to be prepared for the question.

I'm Alex.

I deliberately have my name as Alex not Alexandra on my email signature so noone knows what sex I am. I'm certainly not adding my pronouns.

I answered this with if I wasn't born female how would I be pregnant? Midwife laughed and said I know it's ridiculous. I feel sorry especially for medical professionals being told to ask these kinds of things

The problem with that is that no-one ever addresses you directly by third person pronouns - the only ones which change with sex in the singular. Third person pronouns are how someone speaks about you to others and I'm not sure you can compel the speech of others like that.

Indeed and given that we’ve had a (now former) male CEO of a rape crisis charity insisting they were referred to as she/her, I really have issues with compelled speech if this nature

I would say xi/Chen then go on a ramble about how you generally don’t mind people not using them because not everyone is up with current thinking. Part of winning at interview is standing out from the crowd.

My DC has teachers are (not ‘claim to be’) non binary, and use Mx. It’s super simple. Primary school kids don’t seem to have an issue pronouncing it.

Pleeeease could a gender-critical pregnant mumsnetter answer 'male' at her next appointment and let us know how it goes down?

People do get treated differently though, don't they, and women always get treated worse.

A female friend recently became a CEO, and men still mansplain to her!

If I were asked my pronouns, I'd be tempted to say, "He/him" in the hope of getting treated better.

Did you explode into a thousand pieces when you were misgendered? I doubt it. You probably rolled your eyes and got on with your day. But this ideology that you’re defending actually hurts and endangers women and girls.

Yes

I'd just say I'm an adult human female.

ThatFlightyTemptress
It’s like someone asking you what name you’d prefer to be called by - it’s a courtesy, just to check they are addressing you how you’d prefer. It’s not a test, so don’t be a difficult arsehole - just tell them and move on. You’ll never hear another thing about it.

This
You don’t have to get political at a job interview

They are "getting political" by asking you.

I don't think they ask this at interview

It's like someone asking you what your star-sign is. It's just a polite thing to answer and then you tacitly agree to the whole ideology.

https://www.realityslaststand.com/p/when-asked-what-are-your-pronouns

Dare you to answer "Gemini", OP.