It's Time To Be Better

It’s Time To Be Better

“A few weeks ago I arranged a group life insurance policy for a client, and you wouldn’t believe what I saw on the policy document.

The policy documents stated cover as:

1.  She is aged not less than 16 years but less than her state pension age
2.  She is employed for not less than 1 hour per week

Benefit: 5 times her scheme earnings at the date of her death

Imagine assuming the company is all female, and referring to the men as ‘her’ and ‘she’.

I contacted the insurer and the female representative emailed me back telling me not to worry, in the company T&Cs it states ‘words referring to any gender include all genders’.

Oh that makes it ok then?  Imagine it being 2025 and still assuming men don’t work.  Still referring to men as ‘she’ as the main gender to expect is female, especially when it comes to business.

What about Key Woman insurance?  It’s the same thing.  Why do we still assume only women in the companies are key staff….

The thing is that it’s never this way is it?  It’s always he and him that’s assumed, never her and she.  And we just expect women to be okay with it.

Just say they/them
How as an industry are we ever going to be inclusive if we still make these assumptions?

How long are we going to rely on boilerplates stating ‘we mean both genders’?

The change is simple.  Instead of ‘she’ or ‘he’, just say ‘them’ or ‘the employees’.  Gender isn’t needed in statements like this.  Keyman cover becomes keyperson.  Chairman becomes chair.  I could go on.. It’s not that hard, but as long as people keep defending it and saying ‘that’s just the way it’s always been’, or we have a statement that says we mean both genders, things will never get better.

Come on, we can do better than this.

And guess what. This not only includes both those who identify as male and female but also our colleagues, friends and clients who are non binary or have a different gender identity preference.”

See what Alan did there?

In his recent LinkedIn post Alan decided to take a stance to address gender inequality in our industry. He* was reviewing some technical documents from an insurer and noticed that the wording was all focused upon he or him. A firm believer in equal rights, Alan challenged the insurer and was met with a lack lustre response. 

There was no acceptance that they could do better, that they might be alienating some of their audience, that they are continuing the old attitudes that it is men that are in the workplace. I believe that an appropriate term would be to say that they are dinosaurs when it comes to gender inclusivity.

There will be some people that read this and wonder why it is such an issue, why there continues to be such a debate, women are now in the workplace, you see them around the place. You might feel that yes ok, it should say he/she, but you’re not sure about all this they/them business. 

To these people I ask you to keep an open mind when you read my tongue-in-cheek response to Alan’s post that flips the usual gender narrative

“You see, this, THIS, is why we shouldn’t have men working in insurance, too emotional…”

It doesn’t sit nicely does it. That’s how many situations can feel to people who are excluded from the ‘chosen’ group. Pronouns are a core part of our identity and being aware of and actively supporting all gender preferences, shows respect and a kind of corporate culture that most people would like to see in businesses that they work with.

How To Be Better

There are many things that people can do to do better when it comes to supporting gender equality. Here are some potential thoughts:

• Add your pronouns to your email signature stip. Mine are she/her. A lot of people think that adding pronouns is more for people who do not identify as he or she. But, by adding your pronouns you are showing to more marginalised genders, that you are someone that is conscious of the value of pronouns. It can signify that you are a safe person to speak to.
• Reach out to learn more. There are a lot of charities and community groups for gender equality, with lots of guidance on how to be an ally. You could ask them to come and do a talk with you and your team, get advice on the language that you use in conversation, over emails and outreach materials.
• Change your view in every part of your life. This isn’t just about being inclusive at work.  It flows into all aspects of your life. Alan gave the examples of Chair instead of Chairman, Keyperson insurance instead of Keyman insurance. How about correcting yourself if you say policeman to say police officer, if you get an appointment with a GP don’t assume that you will see a man, a lot of gender bias is based upon outdated assumptions.
• Challenge gender inequality when you see it. We make change by having a voice. If we see inequality and don’t call it out, things won’t change. The first few of us that pushback might not see change, but the more of us that do stand up, the more we can be better.

Gender equality is not going to disappear. You can either embrace it and be welcoming to all, or you can stay stuck in the past and put barriers up between you and others.

My Thoughts

I’m sure it’s not surprise to most people that know me, that if an insurer uses ‘he’ in their materials, that I start to get my back up. When we were told ‘yeah, but we have a statement that says he means she, so it’s ok’ that was like a red flag to a bull.

This is something that we will keep calling out as it is simply not ok, there are many gender identities and it really isn’t that difficult to use wording that is inclusive to all.

There are still limitations that we as advisers cannot currently overcome. When we support clients we can record their gender identity as it is, but, when it comes to insurance applications there is still a need to include a gender that is male or female. 

This is done in life insurance, critical illness cover and income protection applications, as there are some health questions that are specifically linked to these genders. Our team is specifically trained to help people where this situation could make the application process uncomfortable.

*I am using he/him when referring to Alan as these are his pronouns.

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