A Little Word That Means A Lot: A Reassessment of Singular They in a New Era of Gender Politics

Abstract

Singular they has emerged as a key term in contemporary gender politics, reflecting growing usage of they/them as nonbinary personal pronouns. Drawing on interviews with 54 progressive gender activists, we consider how singular they can be used to resist and redo aspects of the prevailing gender structure. We identify three distinct usages of singular they: (1) as a nonbinary personal pronoun, (2) as a universal gender-neutral pronoun, and (3) as an indefinite pronoun when a person’s self-identified gender is unknown. While previous research on singular they as a gender-inclusive language practice has focused primarily on its usage as a nonbinary personal pronoun, our findings point to the relevance for gender politics of all three usages. Our analysis offers new insight into how nonbinary they challenges dominant gender norms and practices beyond incorporating additional gender categories. Given our findings, we propose further investigation of how using gender-neutral pronouns for everyone in specific contexts can advance progressive activists’ goals. Finally, we argue that the longstanding usage of singular they as an indefinite pronoun has new importance today in affirming gender as a self-determined identity.

“However I talk about it, my kids tell me I’m doing it wrong”: U.S. Mothers of Cisgender Children Grapple With Gender Diversity

“…It only has meaning at a time and place that accept gender diversity and gender self-definition. Saguy and Williams (2022, 22) argued that declaring your pronouns “directs others how to speak.” Encountering this direction unprepared could result in failure to fulfill its implied conditions and a sense of accountability to the new regime: An example is Audrey’s feeling that she “messed up” the pronouns.…”

“…It could be that critiquing one’s mother was more tolerated in white families, whereas Black mothers could reveal generational ignorance and still trust their children to be respectful. This preliminary exploration adds to an emergent literature on reactions to gender diversity which lacks “explicit consideration of racial difference” (Saguy and Williams 2022, 23). However, much more research is required to untangle the interaction between emerging gender regimes, race, and family dynamics.…”

“…Saguy and Williams (2022, 6) studied how gender activists used the singular they to “broaden the lens of accountability to gender by drawing attention to a social obligation to respect self-declared identities in linguistic interactions.” In my participants’ progressive current local gender regime, individual gendering became a political act and a signifier of moral position—a symbol of belonging to your progressive community. My participants felt what Saguy and Williams (2022) called “accountability to gendering.” The literature has not yet examined what accountability looks like on the side of those who encounter gender diversity only as bystanders in the community context. I argue that, in a local regime of increasing gender diversity, those raised within the binary may feel accountable for their failure to adjust to new gender norms.…”

“…In my participants' progressive current local gender regime, individual gendering became a political act and a signifier of moral position-a symbol of belonging to your progressive community. My participants felt what Saguy and Williams (2022) called "accountability to gendering." The literature has not yet examined what accountability looks like on the side of those who encounter gender diversity only as bystanders in the community context.…”

Exit, Voice, and Gender

“… 38 Saguy and Williams (2022:11) note one manifestation of this tension in the domain of pronoun use: the use of “they” as a “universal gender-neutral pronoun for everyone.” Although attractive to individuals who seek to reduce unnecessary gendering, a universal “they” is rejected by others—including some trans men and trans women—who desire the micro-recognition afforded by gendered pronouns. …”