THEY/THEM/THEIR: GENDER-NEUTRAL PRONOUNS ON NAMETAGS AND CONSUMERS’ MICROAGGRESSIONS TOWARDS THEM

Abstract

This study draws on theories from psychology and sociology to examine how consumers will react to non-binary individuals in sales and service situations. Results from an online experiment show that consumers tend to evaluate the service offered by non-binary people as lower than their male counterparts. A lowered rating of service offered observed in this research may negatively impact inclusive businesses that tend to hire gender minority people. Further, in this research, managerial implications and future research directions are discussed.