Unknown gender on nursery forms?

[Downthewarren]

I registered my child for nursery today, And on the form under gender, It had Male, Female and Unknown.

I'm pretty laid back about all this. My child will decide who they want to be when they want to and we'll support.

But their birth gender will be put down on the form and they'll be treated as such until they tell us otherwise.

What's everyone else's thoughts on this?

Cross it out and put sex. I have recently done this for enrollment forms for reception. Annoyingly they asked gender of all emergency contacts as well so I crossed all those out and put sex as well. After checking with the contacts if they would prefer sex or gender and what did they want me to write off course.

@husbandcallsmepickle
My first thought! Sex is boy or girl, gender is male or female.
Male and female are sexes
Boy and girl refer to male and female children. They aren't 'genders'.

If it's a paper form you can cross put gender and put sex. Your child will tell you later whether their gender matches their sex. 😉

It's for children that aren't born or for parents who do not want to know the sex of the child prior to birth. I managed a nursery for many years.

@bunanarama

For nursery, yes probably is signing up before they're born, but you never know...... I signed my 3 year old up for our local library's summer reading challenge. Question on the form - "How would you describe yourself? Boy, Girl, Prefer not to say, Other - please specify" Not really sure why a child has to identify with any particular gender to be able to receive a sticker for reading a book!

It’s to measure who the scheme is reaching. Are lots of girls signing up but few boys? Why? What can they do next summer to reach boys? That kind of thing.

You definitely over thought it. I echo the pps who have said it's for children who are yet to be born!
Some nurseries in my area are more popular (for good reason) and over subscribed. When I found this out, I went to an open event and realised I needed to get my 20 ish week gestation baby down for a place pronto to get a place for when they would be 10 months old for my return to work. Same when pregnant with DC2, she was registered for a place at 12 weeks gestation...

[quote plodalong12]**@husbandcallsmepickle
My first thought! Sex is boy or girl, gender is male or female.

Isn’t that the other way round? Because animals are referred to as male or female but animals don’t have genders?? Or have I got mixed up somewhere?[/quote]
No, you’re right. @husbandcallsmepickle got muddled up. Male or female is your sex. Boy, girl, man, woman, are your gender. Whatever MN posters say :)

I understand if people are registering before a child is born, but unknown seems just wrong to me. 'Yet to be born' to ' a baby on the way' would seem better.

@Downthewarren

I did think this, But the nursery starts at 12 months. So surely you'd know by then 😂

Do you realise how far in advance people register for some nurseries?? Like 12 week scan!! 🤣🤣

I'd have crossed out gender and written sex. Male and female are both biological sex classes, nothing to do with gender.

@newnortherner111

I understand if people are registering before a child is born, but unknown seems just wrong to me. 'Yet to be born' to ' a baby on the way' would seem better.

Well for us it was unknown. We were asked if we wanted to know the sex, but declined.

My child didn't begin nursery until age 2, actually nearly 3.
To get his place at our very in demand nursery, he was registered as 12 week old fetus. Had we waited until his birth, we would have been too late.

They’d still be ‘yet to be born’ wether I knew the sex or not, so it doesn’t really work.

There's a massive shortage of places in some parts of the country right now. I registered my son at 3 months pregnant so I didn't know the gender. I later emailed and updated with his date of birth, name and sex when he was born

I also registered my 2nd child before we knew boy/girl. I think I was about 12 weeks.

Eh? Just put down whether they're a boy or a girl. Just write down the sex rather than getting wrapped up in all the gender gubbins.

@newnortherner111

I understand if people are registering before a child is born, but unknown seems just wrong to me. 'Yet to be born' to ' a baby on the way' would seem better.

Why does it seem wrong? If it is unknown?

@x2boys

This is mumsnet so you will be told, its sex not gender....

But it is sex, not gender.

It's the wrong word. It means something completely different. Why wouldn't someone point that out?

Or shall nous all just ploop using gobbledegook and see if vous can blublub what we're moofing?

Male and female are the two sexes. Boy/girl, man/woman are the sexes when applied to humans.

No no it is gender, unfortunately it can't go on the forms as they'll have to decide when they are old enough.
In the mean time, treat them as gender neutral, obviously.

Haha not as dumb as I feel for posting

To be fair to you though, it’s not the clearest wording. Mainly because it says ‘gender’ not ‘sex’ and also because it could say something clearer than just ‘unknown’.

@mnmumak

No, you’re right. husbandcallsmepickle got muddled up. Male or female is your sex. Boy, girl, man, woman, are your gender. Whatever MN posters say

They all describe sex.

Male & female are sexes (animals, plants etc)
Boy/girl/man/woman are common nouns which define age, sex & species.

In the same way that mare/stallion define age, sex & species.

Masculine & feminine are the words we use to describe gender.

@FightingtheFoo Or shall nous all just ploop using gobbledegook and see if vous can blublub what we're moofing?

I love it! 🤣🤣