Gender or sex - a government guide

4 replies

BetsyM00 · 17/04/2018 23:55

Came across this page today:
www.gov.uk/service-manual/design/gender-or-sex#related-guides
which states that you should "use ‘sex’ when you need biological data (for example, if you’re providing a medical service). In all other cases, use ‘gender’."

It then provides an example of how to ask about gender:
"What is your gender? Male/Female/Unspecified"

Kind of begs 2 questions:

If you don't need to know sex, why ask anything?
What is your definition of gender?

Luckily there's a Give Feedback About this Page clicky, so I've asked.

OP posts:

Jeanhatchet · 18/04/2018 07:08

Specify "medical service". Oh really. So on data collected which establishes crime statistics - there is no longer a need to identify a perpetrator's sex.

What we have feared all along ..... males will self-identify out of male perpetrator figures and into female ones.

It will no longer be possible to validate who is killing, raping or assaulting whom
because of sex class.

merrymouse · 18/04/2018 06:57

Dear government,

Please could you explain what a gender is.

Thank you.

RogerAllamsFangirl · 18/04/2018 06:49

Sorry misread this completely. Getting coat now.

RogerAllamsFangirl · 18/04/2018 06:49

I would think of this the other way round. In a medical context, unless relevant to a discussion with someone undertaking GRS, why would anyone need to know your gender rather than your sex? I suppose to get your preferred pronoun but are there other reasons?

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