'What is your gender' when they mean 'What is your sex'

[WhereYouLeftIt]

All those interminable forms we have to fill in. Or surveys. Or feedback. And then the data at the end so that they can analyse who responds to them etc. etc. Age. Ethnicity. Gender. Etc., etc.

So this one asked 'What is your gender?', two boxes, Male and Female. I'm in a bad mood anyway, so in the 'Any other comments?' box I asked that they reword the question to 'What is your sex?'.

No wonder people conflate the two words all the time. The words are constantly presented to people as synonyms.

[olderthanyouthink]

I just applied for a passport and the application form only asked for gender but my old passport says sex on it. Not sure if they changed it or there's just discrepancy between the form and the passport.

[Datun]

I just borrowed this link from another thread about non-binary and gender neutral pronouns.

www.aroomofourown.org/the-sex-delusion/

[hazeyjane]

It really pisses me off. Yesterday I had to fill out something for school and it asked -

What is your gender?
Male
Female
Transgender
Other

I posted in other. 'I am of the female sex, gender is a social construct'

[DJBaggySmalls]

olderthanyouthink they changed it, and transgender people have been added to the Equality Act.

[NoLoveofMine]

I think that could be a good way of filling in such forms hazeyjane!

[cuirderussie]

But Jane Austen and the Brontes had no problem using the word "sex". It's odd. I refuse to say gender these days.

[olderthanyouthink]

DJ why would they change it to gender? Given that gender fluid fairly accepted by LGBT++++++++++ people that would mean that on random days their gender wouldn't match their passport whereas sex can never change.

[Lancelottie]

I wonder what on earth is the purpose of having a tickbox, Hazeyjane, if it isn't collecting any useful information?

I mean, if someone ticks transgender, that tells the recipient that they are either male or female, which doesn't narrow it down much.

[olderthanyouthink]

Just picked up my hot off the press passport and it's says sex again.

Having gender on the form is just stupid. (No way am I protesting on a passport application form though, costs too much)