Millennials and Generation Z appear divided on whether workplaces should require gender pronouns in emails, according to polling commissioned by Newsweek.
Around 60 percent of millennial respondents between 25 and 44 were in favor of the practice. By contrast, just 40 percent of Gen Z respondents aged between 18 and 24 supported the idea.
Meanwhile, less than a third of respondents aged 45 or more agreed that workplaces should require gender pronouns in emails.
Further emphasizing the divide, the poll found that close to 50 percent of Gen Z respondents were opposed to the practice, while around a third of millennials said pronouns should not be required on work emails. Just over 50 percent of those aged 45 or more were against the idea.
The findings come from a poll of 1,500 U.S. adults conducted by Redfield & Wilton Strategies for Newsweek and could lead to fresh debate about the use of pronouns in the workplace, which has sometimes proved divisive
People are increasingly speaking up about their preferred choice of pronouns. In 2019, a survey from the Pew Research Center found that around one in five Americans knows someone who goes by a gender-neutral pronoun.
The Pew survey said close to a third of young Americans aged 18 to 29 personally know someone who prefers being referred to using a gender-neutral pronoun, while 73 percent in the same age bracket have heard of someone who does.
For those 30 to 49, around 19 percent said they personally know someone who has asked to be referred to with gender-neutral pronouns, while 65 percent have heard of someone who prefers them. For those aged 50 or above, there begins to be a drop-off in those figures.
The use of gender-neutral pronouns looks likely to continue. Figures published by the not-for-profit Trevor Project show that 25 percent of LGBTQ+ youth use they/them exclusively; a combination of he/him, she/her or they/them; or neopronouns like ze/zir or fae/faer.
Using preferred pronouns in emails has been shown to have a positive impact on the workforce. A 2017 study published in the academic journal Psychology Sex Orientation Gender Diversity found that affirming an individual's choice of pronouns boosted self-esteem and well-being.
However, there is a flip side to the use of pronouns in the workplace that may explain the viewpoint of the Gen Z respondents in the Newsweek survey—with the key emphasis being on the word require.
The U.K.-based lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights charity Stonewall says the freedom to use preferred pronouns in the workplace is welcome, but it should remain a choice rather than a requirement.
"Including pronouns in email signatures should be encouraged, but not be made compulsory as not everyone may feel comfortable sharing their pronouns," Stonewall said.
It may be that while millennials see pronouns in work emails as a step forward, Gen Z is concerned about employers overstepping.
Redfield & Wilton Strategies' polling also showed that members of Generation Z feel strongly about calling people "guys" in the workplace. Most young adults believe that it's not OK to refer to males and females as "guys," according to the survey.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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