Gender-Neutral Spivak Pronouns in the Office

Promoting Workplace Gender Equality with Gender-Free Language

Jan 17, 2009 Terence P Ward

The Spivak pronoun is one of many proposed solutions to the gender bias of English pronouns - but this one sounds natural and is easy to learn.

Spivak pronouns are a group of gender-neutral terms based on the forms of the word “they.” Designed to replace clumsier workarounds such as “he/she” and using they as a singular, Spivak pronouns were named for mathematician Micheal Spivak, who promoted their use in his book The Joy of TeX. Although they appear to be mistakes to the uninitiated, Spivak pronouns are closer to natural English than many other gender free alternatives, and could be adopted for workplace communications without much difficulty.

Forms of the Spivak Pronoun

The original versions used by Spivak were based upon both he and they, but the newest forms are all drawn from they. The following examples show how the pronouns are used.

• Ey will provide weekly progress reports to all department heads.
• Each employee has been trained on how to back up eir own hard drive.
• If the CEO cannot attend the meeting, eir assistant will attend for em.
• The sales manager prefers to review all the daily figures eirself.
• The Chamber of Commerce will be honoring em at its next monthly luncheon.

For grammarians, this technical explanation of these and other gender-neutral pronouns is instructive.

Drawbacks of Spivak Pronouns

All attempts at avoiding gender in English face barriers to widespread adoption. Spivak pronouns are similar to existing English words, so they do not require users to learn new vocabulary that may seem forced. However, that similarity can also be problematic; at first glance they may be mistaken for typographical or grammatical errors. When spoken, these gender-free pronouns could give the listener the impression that the speaker has an accent.

Use of Spivak Pronouns in the Workplace

If a company wishes to take more aggressive steps to combat gender bias, the Spivak pronouns may be a viable option. Careful consideration should be given to how their use is implemented.

• Employees should be educated so that they are not confused by the terms.
• Spivak pronouns are easy to learn in writing first; initially using them in speech may seem unnatural or forced.
• Consider restricting them to internal communication only until the workforce gains fluency with the new pronouns.
• If the workplace decides to use Spivak pronouns unilaterally, make sure the rest of the world knows about it. Use the company newsletter or a press release to get promote the decision.

Spivak pronouns are not in widespread use, and adopting them in the workplace would be a bold move. As with any business decision, this is one that should be made with the interests of all stakeholders in mind.

The copyright of the article Gender-Neutral Spivak Pronouns in the Office in Gay/Gender Issues is owned by Terence P Ward. Permission to republish Gender-Neutral Spivak Pronouns in the Office in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Both genders should be assumed in language