They may opt to use gender-expansive pronouns such as 'they/them/theirs' instead of the gendered examples listed above. Gender-expansive employees – those who do not self-identify as male or female – often challenge existing understanding and norms around gender. This binary reference of gender no longer applies to the broadening nomenclature of gender identities and expressions. Traditionally, many languages use gender binary pronouns and suffixes for example, “he/him/his” for men and “she/her/hers” for women.

How should we use pronouns for gender-expansive employees? These gender-expansive identities are generally considered part of the greater transgender community. While many transgender people identify on a binary scale – as either a man or a woman – some do not and may instead refer to themselves as 'genderqueer,' 'gender fluid,' 'non-binary,' or by other terms. 56 percent of Generation Z respondents, the most diverse generation in the US, know someone who uses gender neutral pronouns-a significant increase from previous generations.Įmployees now have more opportunities to encounter a wider range of gender identities and expressions at the workplace 2.Millennials are more than twice as likely to identify as LGBTQ (at a rate of 20 percent) than previous generations.More and more individuals are finding the language and support to identify as something other than their assigned sex at birth, and are then entering the workforce empowered to identify as transgender or gender-non-conforming. It is imperative that workplaces become more accustomed to these realities. Nothing may be more personal than the words people use to refer to us through our names and pronouns. We use words to communicate, characterize, and describe everything around us. Words are powerful language tools that help us convey meaning and connect.

What does pronoun mean