Work survey asking for 'gender'

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Our most recent work survey has come out and as part of the 'About You' section, it asks you to select your gender. There are several options, 'Prefer not to say', 'Male', 'Female', 'Transgender' and 'Non-binary'. There is no box to comment in which I would otherwise use to say that my sex is female etc.

I'm definitely going to give feedback and ask why they asked for gender rather than sex however this is my first time being gender critical in the workplace and I want to make sure I'm putting across the point in a precise and thought out way.

Would anyone be able to give their thoughts on what they would say if they were in this situation.

My workplace is local council if that helps

You don't need to mention being gender critical; The Equality Act lists 'sex' and 'gender reassignment' as the relevant protected characteristics so that is the terminology they should use.

How about reading this thread?

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3549710-Update-identifying-as-non-binary-for-work-award

I always cross out gender and put sex. Then tick female.

When I was presented with a similar situation at work I chose prefer not to say then provided feedback to HR that Female/Male did not refer to Gender but to Sex and that if they wanted to collect Gender they need a comment box for people to choose their own, in which I would write in Constructed.

My company is very woke and HR said they would consider adding Agender for people like me.

They asked for gender on my work contract when I started.
I just crossed it out, wrote sex and female.
Someone mentioned the new data protection laws and how companies shouldn't be collecting data they don't need.
It is sex they are, and should be asking for.

If I can't edit/cross out gender I would select non binary.

I have no gender identity, which makes me agender or Genderqueer which automatically brings me under the trans umbrella.

The quicker normal people wake up to what nonsense gender ideology actually means, the better.

If it's a fixed field online which can't be changed then I would select non-binary too. According to Stonewall it describes me perfectly. Agender or Genderfree is ever better if available.

I've recently had two paper forms to fill in and on these I cross our "Gender" and write "Sex".

Ask them what the purpose is of collecting this data. If it is to monitor equality issues, such as sex discrimination, you could refer to the census which collects sex as one of the most important data points. You could look at the committee report on this from the Scottish Parliament as it has evidence from statisticians on why we need to measure sex.

And as PP suggested, remind them that the protected characteristic is sex and that that is separate from the protected characteristic of gender reassignment means which they are conflating with this question.

You could suggest the inclusion of an additional question if they also want to collect data on trans status and then tell them to include does not apply or gender free for the vast majority of us who don't have a gender identity.

In paper forms I now always cross out sex and put in gender. When it is about the kids, if I ever get challenged on that I will smile and politely tell them that I wouldn't propose to assume my child's gender since there are over 70 of them now but that I know their sex which is the only thing they need to know.

^which means not means which!

This is the report on the census It explains why keeping the sex question binary is important.

How utterly bizarre that I am typing this in 2019. Science denial 21st century style...

Guidance given by the Market Research Society, who govern research agencies that put together, is very enlightening. Google 'mrs guidance sex and gender', and you'll see what I mean.

Dig further into the references included in that document and you really start to understand why survey questions on this simple demographic attribute have become a nonsense.

In short, any research agency bound by the MRS code of conduct has to follow stupid guidelines or face sanctions. It's insidious and we need to push against it whenever we can

Interesting, NutsToThat Should we be talking to the MRS then?

Somebody tell me why so many GC women are choosing "genderfree" (or whatever) instead of female? To me I'm biological sex female and gender female; claiming my gender as well as my sex feels very important.

Where have you seen that?

DP is applying for a job at the BBC, set me off when he had to ask me how to answer the "are you trans" question... my head nearly exploded at the phrase "gender assigned at birth"

Pretty sure it didn't ask what his sex was just his gender (I think M/F/PNTS).

Me? Have I used the wrong terminology? I'm sorry, I know terminology is important and I'm trying.

Let me try to phrase clearer; it seems like GC people on mumsnet don't want to say their gender is female, only their sex. I get and agree with the important of pointing out sex, what I don't yet understand is the rejection of gender.

Genderfree is being used by Somerville who is applying for a LGBTQ+ award at work (there's a thread with title like that for it)

The rejection of gender is because it's based on stupid stereotypes eg female means dresses and skirts and long hair and make up and pink and sparkles whereas male means jeans and tshirts and short hair and DIY and blue and mud.

@lordwheresmyshoes you are absolutely free to want to claim both sex and gender. That is genuinely fine with me. But as why do some others reject it, particularly as it has become entrenched in the last few years, well this is what I wrong on the “work award” thread listed yesterday:

“And tbh I find it quite offensive when I have to answer how I “identify”. I am a woman, my genes irrevocably say so. But I don’t “identify” with the gender stereotypes applied to women which I consider regressive and dislike the idea of being pushed to say I do. “

I wouldn't select non-binary as it will push up the numbers of those who identify as such in the eyes of HR and will eventually work against you. Find a way of communicating that your sex is female - even if only in a free text box at the end of the survey or by separate email.

Thanks for all the replies! I will have a thorough read through of all the links later on.

The survey circulated was, as far as I'm aware, created in-house by a board of staff rather than an external research agency so I'm inclined to think 'gender' was used in a (rather misguided) polite way rather than anything else. I think this is definitely another reason for me to raise it to increase awareness about the differences between sex and gender.

Thanks olderthanyouthink. I am very much not a stereotype dresses, pink nails, long hair and make-up woman. I strongly object to the narrative that that's what makes a person's gender female. I think (I'm constructing my opinion still as you can tell), that it's important to me to claim my gender as well as my sex as part of the defense against the extreme stereotyping that is happening and is damaging the gender and the sex. I'm not a certain % less or "other" just because I don't fit into a stereotype box. I'm definitely still fully female.

'Gender' is socially accepted mannerisms or codes of dress that display a persons biological sex.
No one has a 'gender', its made up. If gender existed in biology it would be consistent across all cultures and through time; but it isn't.

I suspect many organisations have put zero thought at all into the fact that sex and gender are two very different things. I had a discussion with my son's school about this and the head just kept trying to tell me that essentially they were the same thing and 'gender' was just the modern, inclusive, acceptable and non bigoted word for 'sex'. Drove me up the wall that she didn't get what I was saying at all - she's responsible for educating children on the matter fgs!

I don't yet understand is the rejection of gender.

Gender doesn't really mean anything other than being either a set of stereotypes attributed to you based on sex (and therefore a pile of rubbish) or, as is being increasingly described, a diaphanous concept of 'feeling like something' which is entirely subjective and therefore meaningless in the context of categorisation as there's no objective measure.

I don't have a subjective 'feeling' of identification with a gender (outside of the fact I am female and therefore a woman), and I also don't identify with the stereotypes imposed on me simply because I'm female. (I have aspects of both 'feminine' and 'masculine' in my personality). Therefore if I absolutely have to choose, the closest gender I have is 'gender free'.

Gender doesn't lead to discrimination in the way that sex does and therefore does not generally need to be captured. Gender is the discrimination and I have no intention of identifying into my own oppression by playing along with the idea that all females are a homogenous mass with the same tastes. I'd rather abolish the concept of gender completely so people can just crack on with being who they are. I feel no need to protect it as a concept.