I’m listening to one of the old podcasts (over a year ago) and almost every reference to the Scrum Master role is “he” or “him”. (The speakers are all male too.) In the context of this conversation, most references were to the discipline/role at large, not an individual.
Now I know history and grammar allows “he” to be the default all-inclusive, but we also work in an industry dominated by white men. Being one of those white men, I’d like to leverage my privilege to suggest that we’d do better by saying “they” whenever possible.
I currently work in a company where all of our Scrum Masters are women, and I’m all-too-often reminded of the little comments made in front of them that prompt me to pull a team member aside and point out that something said wasn’t the best way to communicate their thoughts. I’ve also had a star female employee point out these issues as she was leaving the company. Thus, I’m doing my best to remain conscious of this issue… I think we can do better.
I pride myself in how agile is a philosophy, and part of the culture that comes with it is about encouraging and empowering the team. For me, these issues are included in that philosophy. As coaches or leaders, we are in the best position to make an impact.
