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1. Embed this notice
   Andreas, DJ3EI, he/him (dj3ei@mastodon.radio)'s status on Sunday, 08-Mar-2026 20:42:58 JST Andreas, DJ3EI, he/him

   Today is the international women's day.

   #HamRadio is a predominantly male hobby. I'm happy to see the female share steadily rising, though.

   We have patriarchal customs in our hobby we need to get rid of. One example is cat calling with the abbreviation "88" ("love and kisses").

   Also, a male operator is called "OM" ("old man"), a female operator "YL" ("young lady"). 19th century thinking: The ideal male is established and experienced, the ideal female beautiful.

   Even worse: XYL ("wife").

   • Embed this notice
     es0mhi (es0mhi@tilde.zone)'s status on Sunday, 08-Mar-2026 20:42:57 JST es0mhi

     in reply to

     @dj3ei

     Although I remember feeling slightly irritated when I first came across this terminology many years ago, I now have a different view on it compared to you. (It also seemed more like an American thing to me — it's not normally used in Estonia.) What you're missing is the self-irony. Even an amateur much younger than you and me may be addressed as 'old man' – and I can only ever say this with a smile on my face. And an old lady will always stay young because, you know, if only we could stop time... While XYL seems openly sexist, it wouldn't be if I addressed my wife this way (instead of talking about her on the air to others) — we'd remember the days when we were both young with a slight sense of wistfulness. So, while getting rid of all that chauvinism, I would like to see us keep the terminology and use it the way I outlined. After all, we are human beings with all our whims and mistakes. And radio communication is about human beings communicating.

     And while I'm on the subject, let's do away with commemorative days like International Women's Day, Mother's Day, Children's Day, International Men's Day and International Non-Binary People's Day. I really hate this hypocrisy.

     But first of all: I'm glad to see more women getting into amateur radio. Hopefully this will make the whole issue obsolete.

   • Embed this notice
     es0mhi (es0mhi@tilde.zone)'s status on Monday, 09-Mar-2026 05:46:16 JST es0mhi

     in reply to

     • Christopher M0YNG

     @M0YNG

     While I can see why my post might give the impression that I think "gender is important and should be mentioned", the opposite is true. I don't care about gender at all! You can call me 'she', 'it' , 'they', 'he' or whatever you like. Gender is not part of my identity — or so I would like to think.

     Perhaps that is precisely why I try to be somewhat creative and playful with gender terms. And forgiving. Yes, there is a reference to male and female in OM and YL. But there are also 'young' and 'old', and the ironic playfulness in using these categories. Why not focus on that aspect first? What is important to me is that we are human beings. However, terms such as 'operator' or 'significant other' are machine talk. I would leave those to artificial intelligence.

   • Embed this notice
     Christopher M0YNG (m0yng@mastodon.radio)'s status on Monday, 09-Mar-2026 05:46:18 JST Christopher M0YNG

     in reply to

     • es0mhi

     @es0mhi @dj3ei I think you miss a key problem with gendered shorthand.
     It assumes gender is significant and should be mentioned.

     What if the operator is non-binary?
     Or trans?
     What if their partner isn't the "other" gender?

     Using "op" for "operator" simplifies and removes any risk of embarrassment or upset for both parties.
     Just like "so" for "significant other" does.

     It also removes the assumption that no "xyl" (wife) can ever also be an ham in her own right.