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Finnish language has one clear advantage over English when it comes to the use of personal pronouns because of the gender-neutral third-person pronoun ³óä²Ô. In contrast, in English language users have to choose which pronoun to use when referring to a third person. How to select the right pronoun? It is natural to make assumptions about another person’s gender based on appearance, but it can be deceiving too. You cannot know, for instance, if somebody has a non-binary identity or is undergoing sex reassignment treatments. Misinterpretations about gender identity can be hurtful.

It takes time to get used to new ways of doing and thinking and it might be equally hard to forget what you have learned at school. Some people might argue that using they instead of s/he for both singular and plural references unnecessarily complicates things. It might take some time to master it but, as with everything else, practice makes perfect.

Resistance to change can also stem from the fact that gender roles are deeply rooted in our worldview and values. Whether reality shapes language or, in turn, language reality – perhaps it works both ways. Finnish language has undergone changes too: nowadays the term partner (kumppani) is commonly used instead of girl/boyfriend. What is still called ‘everyman’s right’ in English (a legal concept referring to ‘the right to enjoy nature anywhere in the Finnish countryside regardless of land ownership’), was in Finnish recently changed to everyone’s right (jokaisenoikeudet).

The use of singular they is the norm in academia in the United States, Canada and Australia, and it is quickly spreading in the United Kingdom while Finland is lagging behind. A teacher colleague at Aalto who’s originally from Canada explained not being able to describe a situation where they would use s/he pronouns – instead singular they or the student’s name would be used. This applies to oral communication as well. Adopting a new practice is more demanding for non-native English speakers, but it is good to challenge oneself so that we could communicate in a fair manner without any bias and create a safe space for everyone.

Here is a list of guidelines for the use of singular they: Use they when communicating to a large crowd (instead of the old-fashioned he/she) or when you don’t know the addressee. You can also ask the person in question – these phrases were recommended by ChatGPT: What pronouns do you use? or Which pronouns do you prefer? Sometimes it might be better to replace singular they with another word (e.g., student/teacher/candidate). These examples are on the website of a Swiss university (EPFL):

• At the end of every semester a student must pay all of his/her/their outstanding matriculation fees. --> Students must pay all outstanding matriculation fees at the end of every semester.
• She/He/They must register before the student card can be activated. --> Registration is required to activate the student card.
• If an employee has not validated his/her/their timesheet by the end of the month, they cannot … --> Employees who have not validated timesheets by the end of the month cannot…

Finally, and this is the most important piece of advice: Apologise and correct your mistake if you end up using the wrong pronoun, but don’t make it into a big deal. What matters the most is the effort to do right and to learn from mistakes.