Donate

The madness of the gender-neutral workplace

Stonewall says we should abandon terms like ‘mother’ and ‘father’ because they aren’t inclusive enough.

spiked

Topics Feminism Free Speech Identity Politics Politics UK

Want unlimited, ad-free access? Become a spiked supporter.

Gender-neutral language is everywhere – thanks in part to Stonewall. The LGBT campaign group is reportedly urging the organisations it works with to ditch the term ‘mother’ if they want to be seen as equal-opportunities employers.

Stonewall runs a Workplace Equality Index for private companies and public institutions. To score highly, they must adopt more gender-neutral language. For instance, because ‘mother’ isn’t considered inclusive enough, Stonewall says they should use ‘pregnant employee’. ‘Father’, ‘husband’ and ‘wife’ are not considered inclusive, either.

Stonewall also recommends the use of the gender-neutral title ‘Mx’ rather than Mr or Mrs. And it has advised that people should include their pronouns when signing off on emails.

Stonewall’s advice isn’t just about language — it extends to the workplace more broadly. For instance, it says staff should be given ‘multiple passcards with different forms of gender expression’ so that they can, effectively, change gender on a daily basis. Organisations are also told to allow trans women into women-only spaces like female toilets and changing rooms.

This campaign for gender neutrality is a war on biology. It threatens free speech and women’s right to privacy. No wonder so many institutions are cutting ties with Stonewall.

Picture by: Getty.

Monthly limit reached

You’ve read 3 free articles this month.
Support spiked and get unlimited access.

Support
or
Already a supporter? Log in now:

Help us hit our 1% target

spiked is funded by readers like you. It’s your generosity that keeps us fearless and independent.

Only 0.1% of our regular readers currently support spiked. If just 1% gave, we could grow our team – and step up the fight for free speech and democracy right when it matters most.

Join today from £5/month (£50/year) and get unlimited, ad-free access, bonus content, exclusive events and more – all while helping to keep spiked saying the unsayable.

Monthly support makes the biggest difference. Thank you.

Comments

Want to join the conversation?

Only spiked supporters and patrons, who donate regularly to us, can comment on our articles.

Join today