The census takes place every ten years to capture meaningful data about the population in Scotland.
The results of the Census affect everyone because it is used to plan vital public services and inform investment in areas such as education, transport, health and social care.
Angus Robertson MSP, Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture, has said:
“Scotland’s Census is unique in asking the whole nation important questions that help us to better understand the future needs of our communities.
"The census helps the Scottish Government, Local Government and other service providers to plan services and make decisions about how public money will be spent on major services in our communities, including schools, roads and hospitals.
“It's essential we maximise participation and ensure that everyone is heard and their needs captured.”
Given the importance of the census, you would think it is crucial that the data gathered is accurate and factual.
Yet, as you might be aware, a recent court ruling declared that this should not be the case when it comes to filling in a person's sex. Since the Census Act - which was written in 1920 by the way - does not explicitly define sex or distinguish between sex and gender, it apparently means it's ok to answer the question based on how a person feels, irrespective of what is recorded on their birth certificate or Gender Recognition Certificate.
Many women and men disagree with this approach. A person's sex is a factual piece of information, like our age, and not something to be based on what we would like it to be.
The question on sex is mandatory.
There is a new question which is optional - it asks about a person's trans status. This is a good thing. We want to capture accurate numbers of how many trans people there are in Scotland, as there is no reliable data for this at the moment. Healthcare for trans people cannot be planned for properly if we don't know how many males and females are trans. However, since the question is optional, no one is obliged to answer it if they don't want to.
There is no logical reason for the sex question to be a matter of personal interpretation when there is already a question that captures a person's gender identity.
If you are also concerned with the way sex is being undermined in all kinds of areas of law and policy, then please request a paper copy of the census. Do not fill it in online.
A paper copy has sufficient space to answer the mandatory questions without breaching guidelines but still enables you to signal your disagreement. The online version will only allow you to select specific values and you can't add anything else.
More information will be provided soon by various women's rights groups on the exact wording to write in the census form. But in the meantime, please order the paper version and ask others to do the same.
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