Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Feminism: chat

Original poster

Fuming about this survey re violence against women and girls

91 replies

TamzinGrey · 08/11/2025 17:11

I was delighted to receive an email from my local council promising to create ways to reduce VAWG in the borough and asking me to complete a survey.
I clicked on the link and answered all of the questions which were mainly about my experiences of male violence and aggression. It brought back horrible memories for me but it did appear to be a helpful survey.

When I got to the end I was expecting to be asked to tick a box asking whether I was female or male (for some reason men had also been invited to complete this survey about women's experiences)
Here's what came up:

Which of the following options best describes how you think of yourself?

Woman (including trans women)
Man (including trans man)
Non-binary
In another way

Is your gender identity the same as the gender you were registered at birth?

I'm bloody fuming. In a survey about violence against women and girls I wasn't allowed to describe myself as an actual woman. They just want to know how I "think" of myself.

I did make a comment about not believing that the council are taking VAWG seriously as I wasn't even given the opportunity to describe my sex as female.

Here's a link to the survey. Anyone can complete it but they do ask for a postcode at the end.

https://online1.snapsurveys.com/Interview/942ffa79-febf-44cb-
ada2-7d1b9ef608d3

OP posts:
DuesToTheDirt · 10/11/2025 20:25

Christinapple · 10/11/2025 20:05

I'll email them and let them know the survey has been brigaded

I had to google "brigaded". Second hit was reddit - "What does 'brigaded' mean on reddit?" Shouldn't surprise me, I suppose.

DuesToTheDirt · 10/11/2025 20:23

dizzydizzydizzy · 10/11/2025 19:43

Just live and let live.

The council is using professional market research software - I can tell by the link, it’s software called Snap. They may even be working with a market research company. Market researchers set a lot of store by doing things in a scientific manner and avoiding as much bias as possible.

They’ll come out with some analysis along the lines of: 99.5% of those who identify as female were also female at birth. X% of the women who completed the survey said blah blah blah.

They won’t be able to show any separate results for the transwomen because there will not be enough of them to make the data reliable, unless they are doing an absolutely massive survey.

I honestly can’t see anyone would be upset by upset by this. It’s not designed to upset people who disagree with the idea if transwomen. It is merely facing facts that there are transwomen in existence.

Show quote history

It's not a question of being upset.

"Woman (including transwoman)" makes a nonsese of VAWG.

"Is your gender identity the same as the gender you were registered at birth?" - impossible for me to answer. "When did you stop beating your wife, @dizzydizzydizzy?"

Christinapple · 10/11/2025 20:05

I'll email them and let them know the survey has been brigaded

Original poster
TamzinGrey · 10/11/2025 19:44

DuesToTheDirt · 10/11/2025 18:43

And for those of us who don't have a gender identity and think it's all bollocks?

Show quote history

This is from the survey:

Which of the following options best describes how you think of yourself?

Woman (including trans women)

Man (including trans man)

Non-binary

In another way

Is your gender identity the same as the gender you were registered at birth?

Yes

No

Like you I think that gender identity is all bollocks and it really upset me that I was forced to hold my nose and answer the second question as Yes because otherwise I wouldn't have been able to submit my completed survey, and VAWG is a real problem in the town centre and needs to be addressed.

As for the first question I ticked "In another way" because I don't think of myself as a woman inside my head, any more than DH (who I've asked) thinks of himself as a man inside his head.

They'll probably think that I identify as a cat or a unicorn or something and will disregard my response anyway.

OP posts:
dizzydizzydizzy · 10/11/2025 19:43

DuesToTheDirt · 10/11/2025 18:43

And for those of us who don't have a gender identity and think it's all bollocks?

Show quote history

Just live and let live.

The council is using professional market research software - I can tell by the link, it’s software called Snap. They may even be working with a market research company. Market researchers set a lot of store by doing things in a scientific manner and avoiding as much bias as possible.

They’ll come out with some analysis along the lines of: 99.5% of those who identify as female were also female at birth. X% of the women who completed the survey said blah blah blah.

They won’t be able to show any separate results for the transwomen because there will not be enough of them to make the data reliable, unless they are doing an absolutely massive survey.

I honestly can’t see anyone would be upset by upset by this. It’s not designed to upset people who disagree with the idea if transwomen. It is merely facing facts that there are transwomen in existence.

DuesToTheDirt · 10/11/2025 18:43

dizzydizzydizzy · 10/11/2025 12:15

They ask if your gender identity is tbe same as at birth, though. Surely that is OK because they can easily separate out all the biological women.

And for those of us who don't have a gender identity and think it's all bollocks?

dizzydizzydizzy · 10/11/2025 12:15

They ask if your gender identity is tbe same as at birth, though. Surely that is OK because they can easily separate out all the biological women.

Justme56 · 10/11/2025 10:30

Personally I would start in your complaint with the first paragraph which talks about opinions and states no matter ‘what your sex or gender’. It’s lying. They are only interested in gender (whatever they perceive that to be).

BillieWiper · 10/11/2025 10:20

I started it but it's asking about what things are like in Maidstone and I've never been there! I could just put n/a for those questions but it's still about my local area which obviously isn't in their jurisdiction. Then I'd need to make up an ME postcode at the end? Unfortunately I gave up.

Original poster
TamzinGrey · 10/11/2025 10:12

MsMartini · 10/11/2025 08:25

The Sullivan review made recommendations about the collection of data on sex and gender.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-review-of-data-statistics-and-research-on-sex-and-gender/review-of-data-statistics-and-research-on-sex-and-gender-executive-summary

"3. The default target of any sex question should be sex (in other words, biological sex, natal sex, sex at birth)...."

  1. The form of the question should follow the UK Censuses (England and Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland) question and response categories.
What is your sex? Response categories: Female, Male"

Ask the council why they are not following these recommendations, given the harms identified by Sullivan by not doing so?

Thanks for that. I'm going to write to them.
I'm even more annoyed now because I've just looked at one of their other live surveys and that does ask whether the respondents are male or female.

So sex doesn't matter when collecting data about violence against women and girls, but apparently it does when talking about food waste collection.

OP posts:
MsMartini · 10/11/2025 08:25

The Sullivan review made recommendations about the collection of data on sex and gender.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-review-of-data-statistics-and-research-on-sex-and-gender/review-of-data-statistics-and-research-on-sex-and-gender-executive-summary

"3. The default target of any sex question should be sex (in other words, biological sex, natal sex, sex at birth)...."

  1. The form of the question should follow the UK Censuses (England and Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland) question and response categories.
What is your sex? Response categories: Female, Male"

Ask the council why they are not following these recommendations, given the harms identified by Sullivan by not doing so?

Grammarnut · 10/11/2025 08:04

IwantToRetire · 09/11/2025 19:14

Not sure I understand.

The first question is about sex. Which is correct. But what is strange is them including the option "intersex".

But even with that oddity they are puting sex first.

Then asking about identity second.

From the language used I think this is quite old. There may be a newer version. This is the only one that showed up.

Show quote history

The first two questions are about gender:e.g. Man (includes transman). The final option asks if you see yourself 'in another way'. Then finally it asks whether your 'gender' is the same as that you were registered at birth? Where is the sex question?

Original poster
TamzinGrey · 09/11/2025 21:46

@IwantToRetire Thanks. That’s very helpful.

OP posts:
IwantToRetire · 09/11/2025 21:34

TamzinGrey · 09/11/2025 20:15

The particular survey that I posted about didn't ask about sex at all which is what infuriated me - especially as it was about VAWG. Here's what it says:

Which of the following options best describes how you think of yourself?

Woman (including trans women)
Man (including trans man)
Non-binary
In another way

Is your gender identity the same as the gender you were registered at birth?

Show quote history

I know and replied to that quoting the EHRC which says they shouldn't have done what they did.

Which means you can quote them when criticising what they circulated.

My response was to another poster who I thought was questioning the EHRC order of their tick boxes.

Original poster
TamzinGrey · 09/11/2025 20:15

IwantToRetire · 09/11/2025 19:14

Not sure I understand.

The first question is about sex. Which is correct. But what is strange is them including the option "intersex".

But even with that oddity they are puting sex first.

Then asking about identity second.

From the language used I think this is quite old. There may be a newer version. This is the only one that showed up.

Show quote history

The particular survey that I posted about didn't ask about sex at all which is what infuriated me - especially as it was about VAWG. Here's what it says:

Which of the following options best describes how you think of yourself?

Woman (including trans women)
Man (including trans man)
Non-binary
In another way

Is your gender identity the same as the gender you were registered at birth?

OP posts:
IwantToRetire · 09/11/2025 19:32

plantcomplex · 09/11/2025 19:28

Do you have a screenshot?

Show quote history

I have already posted the link to the document.

plantcomplex · 09/11/2025 19:28

IwantToRetire · 09/11/2025 19:14

Not sure I understand.

The first question is about sex. Which is correct. But what is strange is them including the option "intersex".

But even with that oddity they are puting sex first.

Then asking about identity second.

From the language used I think this is quite old. There may be a newer version. This is the only one that showed up.

Show quote history

Do you have a screenshot?

Chinsupmeloves · 09/11/2025 19:23

It is ridiculous that so many of these forms have been created to try to seem inclusive amd I agree, male or female and an extra box for anything to write personal relevance. I have to read out such lists to vulnerable people who don't know what day it is, can't speak English, far too much confusion 😐

IwantToRetire · 09/11/2025 19:14

Grammarnut · 09/11/2025 18:33

Whoever wrote that obviously thinks gender ID is more important to collect than sex. Is this advice going to be changed by the new guidance - whenever it appears?

Show quote history

Not sure I understand.

The first question is about sex. Which is correct. But what is strange is them including the option "intersex".

But even with that oddity they are puting sex first.

Then asking about identity second.

From the language used I think this is quite old. There may be a newer version. This is the only one that showed up.

Grammarnut · 09/11/2025 18:33

IwantToRetire · 08/11/2025 19:19

In looking this up I found guidelines from the EHRC, which I find a bit odd.

The questions should be asked of those aged 16 and above.

Question 1 asks for sex at birth, while question 2 asks gender identity:

Question 1
At birth, were you described as….
Please tick one option
Male
Female
Intersex
I prefer not to say

Question 2
Which of the following describes how you think of yourself?
Please tick one option
Male
Female
In another way:

Question 1, when used in combination with question 2, allows for a transgender identity and/or history to be collected.

Where there is little space in a form or questionnaire, or where the information requirements need not collect the legal definition of gender reassignment, questions 1 and 2 alone are adequate for recording gender identity and capturing a transgender identity and/or history.

From https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/sites/default/files/collecting-information-gender-identity.pdf page 12 onwards

Whoever wrote that obviously thinks gender ID is more important to collect than sex. Is this advice going to be changed by the new guidance - whenever it appears?

Original poster
TamzinGrey · 09/11/2025 18:12

Thanks everyone for your support. I'm going to write to the Council. Not that it will get me anywhere (LibDem / Green coalition) but at least I'll be able to vent my feelings.

OP posts:
AgentPidge · 08/11/2025 22:56

So depressing.

ArabellaSaurus · 08/11/2025 20:57

BrewI'm sorry, OP. What idiots.

DuesToTheDirt · 08/11/2025 20:51

We are constantly being told by the trans lobby that trans women are at risk of male violence, just like women are. If this were true, surely it would be beneficial for them to have a separate category so that they could point to actual data to prove it. Putting trans women in the same category as women, or the same category as men come to that, means that any information about risk is lost.

mardirousse · 08/11/2025 20:28

Sorry, missed Garlichound's clarification