Normalising pronouns

As part of our work around equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), this post looks at a couple of simple ways we can normalise the use of pronouns in the School

 

Hi everyone,  my name is Rosie (pronouns: she/her) and I am part of the NUBS EDI working group.

At our last meeting, we discussed how we can normalise the sharing of pronouns within the School. There are two things you can do to support this:

 

• Add a pronouns field to all forms

If you are creating a form builder or any other type of form for your audience to complete (whether that’s staff, students or another audience) then there should be a field included for pronouns. Not only will this create a more inclusive environment, but it will actively encourage those who may not be as aware of the use of pronouns to think about this more actively. Cisgender people may not have considered that pronouns are a matter of identity and not just a given based on the gender a doctor assigned to them at birth.

Here is a suggestion of the question you might add to your form:

Please select the set(s) of your preferred pronouns:

• He/him/his
• She/her/ hers
• They/them/theirs
• Other [open text] box
• Prefer not to say

It is important that people filling in the form can select multiple options.

 

• Add pronouns to your email signature

This is a quick and easy way to normalise the use of pronouns in a space that all colleagues use. For instance, you could add the following to your signature.

Preferred pronouns: she/her

 

Thank you for taking the time to read this and update your way of working. If you’d like to know more about the use of pronouns, I can suggest this useful resource.