Chairperson

[joggerjayne]

Come on ladies, lets do this.

If you are chosen to be in charge of a Committee, or a Board, are you happy to be ...

... the Chairman?

Or do you feel the need to be ...

... the Chairwoman, or the Chairperson?

I think, for what it's worth, that these titles refer to the office of position, and not to the gender of the person who holds the office.

If a man can be the Chairman of the Board, then a woman should also be able to be the Chairman of the Board, without having to water down the title in some feeble surrender to the PC brigade.

When you become the Chairman, you're in charge. The Boss! You're a butt kicker. You don't need anyone to change your title to show that you're equal. Because you're not equal. You're the top dog. You're in charge.

It's like ...

All the men have been called Chairman. But now you've got the position, it's all gone wrong. We need to think of a different, more washy washy, title. How about Chairperson?

Shut it, creep. It's Madam Chairman to you, and don't you forget it.

[mccfluff]

ok

[LazyGun]

Why is there a problem with assigning a gender neutral term? Do you have a problem with language changing over time?

Personally, I see nothing wrong with using the contraction "chair", or "chairperson".

[joggerjayne]

And don't you forget it !

[joggerjayne]

Oh, I forgot about "Chair"

Chairperson seems almost acceptable, compared with Chair.

[mallyh]

why notjust THE chair holder

[chelle7272]

The Chair of our Board is female and insists on the title Chairman.
I think Chair is fine personally.

[LazyGun]

I do not understand your problem with Chair, Jayne :)

[mccfluff]

i'd rather be a sofa

[China Doll]

My lot just call me 'the boss'.... covers everything ;o)

(I'm not actually the boss either).

[Sipowicz]

Has the "chair" got nice legs?.........runs for cover!

[boxtops]

Big fuss about nothing. I chair committees, I'm the Chairman. It's a status name not an indication of sex. I have no objection to manpower, manhole, man the battlements - and so on. People who make a fuss about these things are making a fuss about nothing. Even the Mayor of our town (who's nearly always female) is still called Mr Mayor. It's a historic title. I've got no time for PC job titles.

[society]

I'm a take-charge person so I always find myself leading. People are so lazy and afraid of responsibility, they just don't care and wait for someone else to do the job.

[Barmaid]

What's wrong with your real name? Last committee I chaired I was just called by my first name. I only ever got called Madame Chairman when someone was being sarky.

[joggerjayne]

Lazy, I just think it feels awkward, and patronising.

It's as though a company or organisation has a whole succession of men who are the Chairman.

And then a woman gets the position, and everyone goes ... Nooo, it's all gone wrong. We need to emphasise the difference, by giving her a new title. Otherwise people will think she is just like all the other Chairmen.

I think creating new titles has the opposite of the intended effect. It emphasises the fact that "women are different".

[boxtops]

That's fair enough, barmaid - you just have the title against your name on the Minutes of the meeting. I don't expect to be called any form of Chairman when people address me verbally during the meeting.

[LazyGun]

"Even the Mayor of our town (who's nearly always female) is still called Mr Mayor. It's a historic title. I've got no time for PC job titles"

Good for your boxtops. Is that just because you cannot cope with change, though? Why the vehemence of the objection?

[LazyGun]

@Jayne Things change though, over time. Language changes. What seems uncomfortable or awkward is often just because it is new.

Personally, being lazy, I prefer Chair - easier to say, and shorter ;)

[boxtops]

Lazygun, it irritates me because I believe it to be change for the sake of PC-ness when there is absolutely no need for it. I can cope with as much change as you can throw at me - but if the term Chairman (or Mayor) relates to people of either sex, then the Equality of Titles brigade can go whistle as far as I'm concerned. I know I'm the chairman, I'm the manager of my department at work (everyone who manages a service is a manager, not a manageress). Holding out for a female title just makes the women look self-important and insecure in their roles. IMO.

[LazyGun]

Well if we ever meet up in real life, Boxy, I will address you as Chair, just be mischevious.

I still do not see the root of your objection though. Things change. Cultures change. Language changes. All the time.

And there is nothing intrinsically more unwieldy in using the term "chair" or "chairperson" than the term "chairman".

And why on earth would you need to have the extra Mr. when describing the Mayor? What on earth impels you to support the entirely superfluous Mr except tradition and the reluctance to accept change?

This might sound confrontational - I do not mean it to be, but I am genuinely confounded by the reasoning behind rejecting terms like "chair" etc, and bewildered by the need to retain "Mr.Mayor" when referring to the Mayor, be it male or female...

[craft1948]

I'm a Vice-Chairman, and also a Vice-President of an association..........