Why Twitter and Instagram are inviting people to share their pronouns

Are you a he or a she? A they or a ze? Telling the world who you are is getting easier as social networking sites from LinkedIn to Instagram roll out pronoun options in profiles to help users clearly express their gender identity.

High-profile transgender and non-binary stars including Hollywood star Elliot Page and singers Sam Smith and Demi Lovato are helping to drive growing awareness of gender minorities – and big businesses are embracing the social shift.

Social networks including Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn have announced or introduced dedicated pronoun fields in users’ bios, while a host of big companies are also bringing in pronoun policies to encourage inclusion.

But what is the aim – and why are corporations so keen to jump on the bandwagon? Here are the key details.

What are pronoun-sharing schemes and what are their aims?

From trans to genderfluid, androgyne and demigirl, there are dozens of gender identities beyond the binary male and female, with pronouns options ranging from they to ze, fae, and it.

Companies are increasingly inviting staff to share their preferred pronouns in emails or at meetings, while social media firms are offering pronoun options on profiles.

The schemes are designed to be inclusive of people who are transgender or non-binary – meaning they identify as neither male or female – by giving people an easy way to show how they want to be addressed and making it the norm to check.

Why are companies keen to get involved?

Companies are looking to move with the times, but they also have their eye on the bottom line, say experts.

Corporate culture is changing with the entry into the workforce of Generation Z – those born between about 1997 and 2010 – said Ian Johnson, the CEO of LGBTQ+ consulting firm Out Now, which advises clients on LGBTQ+ inclusivity.

“Generation Z are looking to work for organisations where diversity in gender or sexual orientation or expression is not a big problem,” he said.

“Corporations are recognising that the future is going to embrace inclusion and diversity visibly, and they want to be there in order to compete in terms of winning employees.”

Social media firms have gained positive coverage for adopting pronoun options, but critics say they are often less proactive when it comes to tackling online abuse.

There may be an element of “rainbow-washing”, some campaigners say, where companies court positive publicity for supporting LGBTQ+ communities without making any serious commitments.

“But we’re not going to look a gift horse in the mouth,” said Cara English from British trans advocacy group Gendered Intelligence. “It’s a good step towards trans inclusivity, but it certainly can’t be the only step.”

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