"All jobs open to M/V or X"

At present federal public sector jobs are only open to people who see themselves as M (Male) or V (female). People of X gender will now also qualify for a job on the public payroll.

The federal authorities say that by adding the X option they are opening up the public sector to everyone who doesn't feel happy describing themselves as M or V.

The federal authorities are choosing a different route to gender equality than the Flemish authorities who earlier decided to drop the M/V abbreviation altogether.

Minister for the civil service Steven Vandeput (Flemish nationalist): "We specifically opted to include the X. Dropping the M/V would only have moved the problem elsewhere because in the course of the recruitment process applicants would have to give their gender at some point. The choice in favour of adding X provides a sustainable solution and serves as an important signal."

Equal opportunities secretary Elke Sleurs (Flemish nationalist): "By adding the X we are saying all candidates are welcome in the federal public sector whatever their gender or sexual preference."

Earlier the Council of Europe approved a directive stating that transgenders - anybody with a gender identity or gender expression different from the gender of their birth - must have the opportunity to describe themselves as M (male), F (female) or X.