No more he said, she said: Sweden embraces its ‘hens’
In the Egalia, a preschool in Stockholm, there are no male or female students. Instead, all children are referred to as “hen” — a gender-neutral pronoun that has become so established in Sweden that it has been recognized in the newest edition of the country’s official dictionary.
The Swedish Academy’s SAOL dictionary, updated every 10 years, now describes hen as an alternative to the male pronoun “Han” and the female “hon.”
According to linguistic expert Sofia Malmgard, the gender-neutral term can be used in two ways. “First, if the gender is unknown or not relevant (as in: “If anyone needs to smoke, ‘hen’ may do so outside”). Second, it can be used as a pronoun for inter-gender people (as in: “Kim is neither boy or girl, ‘hen’ is inter-gender”),” she explained.
To many Swedes, the decision of the Swedish Academy — set up in 1785 to adapt the Swedish languages to changing cultural and societal influences — reflects how quickly their society has embraced gender-neutral language. Five years ago, barely anyone in Sweden was aware of the word “hen.” According to experts, the hen-revolution in Sweden has two primary origins: LGBT groups have promoted the pronoun as a way to raise awareness.
However, support for the idea has also come from a more unexpected side: Nurseries, kindergartens and preschools such as Egalia increasingly argue that the pronoun’s usage allows children to grow up without gender biases.