Part 1: Do I need to use a title?

Sukupuolineutraalin kielenkäytön merkitys kasvaa jatkuvasti, ja se on yhä tärkeämpää monissa yhteyksissä, kuten työpaikoilla, koulutuksessa ja julkisessa keskustelussa. Suomessa on käytössä yksikön kolmannessa persoonassa pronomini "hän", joka viittaa johonkuhun henkilöön ilman, että siitä ilmenee sukupuoli. Tämä tekee suomen kielestä  joustavan ja soveltuvan sukupuolineutraaliin viestintään. Entä muissa kielissä?

In Finnish the use of the first names, professional titles, and the word ”hän”has made Finnish very adaptable to gender neutrality. The English language has been a little more conservative and formal in this context, keeping gendered titles and holding on to male and female roles. English has been behind other languages such Finnish, or Swedish which has the gender neutral form “ hen”, and French which has used ‘iel’ since 2021 - a mix of elle (her) and il (him). However, recently English has been changing to be more inclusive. Let’s look at how English is moving towards gender neutrality.

Formal Titles

Traditionally, men have been addressed with the neutral title "Mr" regardless of whether they were married or single. However, the situation has been more complex for women. For women, there have historically been three titles: "Miss" for unmarried women, "Mrs" for married women, and "Ms" to cover either neutral or unknown marital status.

In recent years, "Ms." has become the most acceptable form of address for women in professional and formal situations, as it avoids assumptions about a woman’s marital status. However, if a woman specifically indicates that she would like to be called Miss or Mrs you can do so. Note that “Ms” is pronounced “Mzzz”, almost like a buzzing bee.

Also note that professions take priority, so that a Doctor, Professor, Minister etc. would be addressed as Doctor/Professor/Minister Smith irrespective of their gender.

Another feature to note is that English is becoming less formal so many people, particularly the young, will not use titles and go directly to first names e.g. Dear John…

Gender neutral forms and use of pronouns

A gender-neutral form of address could simply be “Dear First Name” or “Dear Occupation/ Profession ( + Surname) .” E.g. “Dear Chris” or “Dear Householder” or “ Dear Officer Jones”. In situations where the person’s gender is unknown or irrelevant, avoiding gendered titles altogether is often the most inclusive approach.

Gender-neutral language has become increasingly important . For gender neutrality, the form of address such as "Dear First Name" works well, and the pronouns “they/them/their” are often used in place of gender-specific ones. Some people may indicate their preferred pronouns under the email signature. For example, for someone who identifies as a woman:

His, her or their - lost in gender-equality

If you still feel lost, read our next blog about this matter or contact Galimatias for more advice and lessons.