International pronouns day

On the 16th of October we observed the International Pronouns Day that seeks to make respecting, sharing and educating about personal #pronouns common.

We daily assume someone’s #gender based on person’s appearance or name.  These assumptions aren’t always correct, and the act of making an assumption (even if correct) sends a potentially harmful message - that people have to look a certain way to demonstrate the gender that they are or are not.*

In order to reduce the role of assumptions and promote inclusivity, in many organizations it’s become more common to share personal pronouns – in email footers, on communication channels, ZOOM/Teams etc.

Nonetheless, I am curious about your observations (please feel free to share in the comments) because my own experiences, as a DEI trainer primarily working in Poland with a wide range of employees and #leaders, indicate that sharing pronouns is not only still rare but is frequently unfamiliar or misunderstood.

There is still a lot to.
Where to start? Best with ourselves 😉

On occasion of the International Pronouns Day, reflecting on #allyship in this matter, I honesty asked myself the 3 questions that you’ll find in the carrousel. I encourage you to do the same so that we can identify the areas of improvement.

My reply to myself was that it’s mostly habitual for me to share pronouns in my emails/offers/communication channels and introductions at trainings and webinars but not so much in more informal or casual settings.

I could do better in educating myself and normalizing the sharing of pronouns and I’m committing myself to do that. How about you?

I also encourage you to follow the profile of Magda Stega who speaks about many important topics related to gender but also about why using pronouns matter.

*Source: pronouns.org