Any academics: how do I tackle research re sex/gender

[ahumanfemale]

Previously research would ask questions like:
Are you:

1. Male
   
2. Female
   

And that would be it.

Now it's more like a variation on the theme of:
What is your gender?

1. Man
   
2. Woman
   
3. Trans man
   
4. Trans woman
   
5. Other not listed.
   

Does anybody know of how to sidestep this? I would just like to ask what is your sex, but I don't think I will be able to do that.

[CatandtheFiddle]

I think you could ask for sex ie Male /Female

Then, if you wanted, you could ask about 'gender identity'

"Is your gender identity the same as the sex you were observed at birth?"
and give the following possibilities:

Yes
No
I do not have a gender identity

[CatandtheFiddle]

OP you might look at Alice Sullivan's work (you can find her on Twitter) about the importance of retaining Sex as a category - she's arguing for this for the next Census, and getting shit piled on her from on high.

But her work is excellent.

[fascinated]

@Miriel

I filled out one recently that asked 'what is your sex?' with male and female as the options, and then something to the effect of 'do you have the protected characteristic of gender reassignment?' with yes, no, or prefer not to say. I was very impressed by that, and ethics panels can't argue with the Equality Act.

I'm not doing empirical research myself at the moment, but I know that my heart sinks every time I see survey questions asking for 'gender' or 'gender identity', usually with a long list of options. It's so common in social science especially.

Legally they cannot touch you on this

[Carriemac]

If you join the NHS vaccine registery, they ask the questions very clearly - what biological six were you registered at birth then what gender do you identify with
It's worth registering just to see wording and then 'why we need to ask'
I used it when editing a workplace questionnaire recently and said 'as per NHS definition'

[YetAnotherSpartacus]

I often tick 'other' and there is an explanation box. I write 'adult human female, otherwise known as 'woman' and oppressed as such'.

[BwanaMakubwa]

I am a man / woman (please indicate)
Is this your birth sex? Yes/no

Would that work?

[Portnlemon]

@BwanaMakubwa

I am a man / woman (please indicate)
Is this your birth sex? Yes/no

Would that work?

Are you asking what sex I was when I gave birth?

[Thislittlelady]

Were you biologically born male/man female/ woman.

[BwanaMakubwa]

Portnlemon

Don't be disingenuous. We all know what birth sex is, it's an understood term.

My thinking is, it is much harder for a transperson to tick a box that says I was biologically born male (for example) than to tick a box which acknowledges their lived reality and that this is not their birth sex.

I think it is very different in terms of dignity and therefore likely accuracy of reporting to have a question acknowledging "I am a woman; this is different from my sex when I was born" rather than acknowledging that "I was born a boy".

[YetAnotherSpartacus]

Are you asking what sex I was when I gave birth?

My guess is 'female', but even that is up for grabs these days!

[Portnlemon]

We all know what birth sex is, it's an understood term.

Do we? Is it? If I said to my DM what's your birth sex she wouldn't have a clue what I meant. She would say "eh?"

So is she disingenuous or just oblivious to identity politics?

[Portnlemon]

"I am a woman; this is different from my sex when I was born" rather than acknowledging that "I was born a boy".

Why just when they were born? If it is so enormously important to record that someone has changed sex then surely the timing is relevant? When forms ask your address they don't ask if you've moved since birth do they, they want the date.