Sex vs Gender on forms

Sex on forms has its legal meaning which is not biological sex, whatever that means. Rather it has the meaning of gender so gender is the clearest word to use.

There you go. 38 posts that make sense and then we are back to gibberish.

Sex on forms has its legal meaning which is not biological sex, whatever that means. Rather it has the meaning of gender so gender is the clearest word to use.

I will try to get EHRC to publish guidance suggesting the use of gender countrywide to stop people misunderstanding. On it.

Though maybe not to 'Sirs'.

Ah! That's cos, for that one I know the bods in the office, both men, I used to work with one of them. I can never find a salutation I like... To whom It may concern is so pompous, I don't really like Dear Sir/Madam either, and Oi You is probably not the best!

What do you all use? I'd like to crib a few new ones

Crossing out gender is all well and good on paper forms but so many are electronic now.

For instance - unless they've changed it recently the MN profile has 'gender' instead of sex. I've complained about it before ... a parenting site really doesn't need euphemisms. Maybe someone else could check and send them something along samphires lines. Though maybe not to 'Sirs'.

Haha - loveyouradvice that's genius!

I might start answering with 'cervix-haver'

Yes I replied to my DD's school (for residential school trip) saying that I felt it was intrusive asking her about her gender, that as a typical teenager it was relatively fluid and I felt inappropriate for the school to record.... However, if they were talking about sex, which seemed an appropriate question for shared accommodation, that she is unequivocably female.

WineGummyBear The last one was this, it may get snippier if I send out many more.

Dear Sirs.
I note with some dismay that part of the information you request is for my “Gender”. Apart from any philosophical or political point I may wish to make about gender as a social construct and the erosion of women’s rights to safe spaces, I would direct your attention to the Equalities Act of 2010 which includes both Sex and Gender Reassignment as discrete protected characteristics.

You have either conflated the two or chosen to rewrite the Act, thus rendering your data collection irrational causing any provision based on it to potentially contravene the Act. I can only assume that this is a well intentioned error, one that needs to be corrected forthwith.

Yours
A Pissed Off Woman!

his

Or even with is prostate :)

It’s worrying isn’t it.

I’m sure (well I bloody hope!) that in hospitals and at the GP there is a (private?) box that states sex as it’s pretty crucial in determining the illness that’s presented.

It’s ridiculous isn’t it.

Can you imagine in hospital where a trans woman puts down female and has actually got problems with his prostrate yet they have to go through the role of pretending he is female or even doing female checks if they are oblivious to his true sex...

Strike through gender and write sex. It's time the "no sex we're British" was consigned to landfill.

That should have been a question.

For what reason would you need to know gender.

I agree. However, the thing that slightly concerns me re answering 'other' (with or without a comment) is that it will then be picked up on as '10% of our database doesn't identify as male or female, we need to do lots of special stuff'.

I think that gender has long been used on forms instead of sex, because until recently (and still in most people’s minds), they are synonymous and the word “gender” is perhaps deemed a little more polite/posh. The word gender is now used (in some circles, and increasingly) to mean something completely different and this is why we are noticing it so much more. However, the vast majority of people, including those designing the forms, probably haven’t the foggiest about this change in use of the word.

I am therefore not convinced that the word gender is necessarily being used more on forms or that most people who use the word on forms are meaning anything other than sex.

I always cross out "gender" and put "sex". It's fucking ridiculous though. Sex is relevant in so many circumstances especially medical. Gender rarely is.

Just a quick question - on DD2's starting school form, you are asked to put the gender of the person collecting them, and also the gender of parents with parental responsbility / people at the same address. Could this not be a safeguarding issue? Possibly over thinking.

Is there any justifiable circumstance where you might need to know gender rather than sex? I can’t think of one myself but interested to see if anyone can.

I was crossing out even before I was aware of the trans issue because It really annoys me especially when the NHS do it.

Samphire, please could you give the wording of your email, so I can copy the reference to the equalities act? I'll be complaining about this from now on too.

So many forms ask for gender now.

I always cross out gender and replace with sex, if possible. Otherwise I leave blank.

I thought gdpr meant organisations shouldn't be asking for data that's not necessary? Not quite, and it would be hard to show that knowing the sex of participants... oh, wait!

So... that'll make any research interesting... Dear Researcher, how are you going to recruit, categorise and analyse your participants? Be careful how you answer that question, as it may be relied on in a court of law - and who cares about the havoc it will wreak?

Agree, the more people do this the more they will realise people aren't happy with the genderwashing trend

Always cross out gender, replace with sex.

I thoroughly infuriated my teen daughter this morning I had to fill in a medical form for her school trip and i crossed out 'gender' and wrote SEX. She was very eye-rolly in that way that only 15 year olds can be

In all seriousness though, SEX matters, not personality - which to me is all gender is.