No "female" gender option at work, only "cisgender female"

[Fittata]

We have all been asked to update our personal information at work to list things such as our ethnicity, gender, security orientation etc. I think it is as part of a drive to be more diverse.

I am a bit uncomfortable being asked to express my sexual prefences at work anyway as I can't see how it is relevant, however I have done as asked. I am a straight, married woman.

On the gender identification section it lists about ten different genders but there is no male or female, just cisgender male and cisgender female. I ticked the option "my gender is not listed here" as I do not identify as "cisgender" as I find the term offensive and do not want to be defined as "not trans".

I am worried that my massively woke manager is going to take issue with this so I'm a bit worried about what I ticked. At the same time I feel like I should be doing more and asking HR why there is no "female" option but I am so worried at losing my job by sticking my neck out like this.

Not really sure what I'm asking here but just wondering if I have done the right thing and what to say if I'm challenged.

@TyroTerf

You might like to tell Collins dictionary then that female is not a gender
www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/gender

@Shedbuilder

Well exactly, Sophoclesthefox. That's what I said. If they haven't asked for/ recorded sex then there's no way of recording sexism expressed in lower pay rates for women etc.

Oh, ok, gotcha now I think, sorry I didn’t get the point with your first post. She needs to point out that they can’t achieve what they presumably want to, because they’ve got themselves in such a tangle.

If female isn't a gender identification then what is my gender?!

I identify as having no gender, it is social construct used to oppress. I have a sex, that is defined under the equality act.

Point out to your employer many people find the term 'cis' offensive and ask if they would monitor 'race' using the N word?

When I moved to one of the Gulf States, I was incensed that my documentation had me listed as “Christian”, because of the assumption that that’s the same as non-Muslim. I didn’t do anything, because at best, their response would have been “well, off you fuck then”. I still had a good old seethe whenever I saw it, though.

I now quite want to go back to any form where I’ve ever ticked the atheist box and redo them to say “magnificent heretic” smile

My husband put atheist (or something similar) and then wasn’t allowed a booze license!

@Newwayofthinking

They can ask But it's not law for you to answer

I find the term CIS very offensive, I am not a sub category of woman

Me too...it is so offensive.

Aren't there now over 100 genders? I've seen a list that was at least 100 and I think some were added to it, they're being very discriminatory and need to add on the 90+ they've missed off.

Gender is the state of being male or female in relation to the social and cultural roles that are considered appropriate for men and women. - from Collins.

Wow. Collins are misogynistic shitbags, aren't they?

So if OP transgresses the boundaries of socially constructed femininity she's not of the "female gender". She is therefore quite right not to have ticked the "cisgender female" box.

Gender according to Collins: if you're not womanning right, you're not female.

@jellyfrizz

When I moved to one of the Gulf States, I was incensed that my documentation had me listed as “Christian”, because of the assumption that that’s the same as non-Muslim. I didn’t do anything, because at best, their response would have been “well, off you fuck then”. I still had a good old seethe whenever I saw it, though.

I now quite want to go back to any form where I’ve ever ticked the atheist box and redo them to say “magnificent heretic” smile

My husband put atheist (or something similar) and then wasn’t allowed a booze license!

Blimey! Didn’t know they could do that, Don’t start me on the alcohol license, when I wasn’t working and had to get permission from my husband to be put on his license ...AAAAARGGGHHHH !!

We ended up not doing it, we just drove out across the border where you didn’t need one, and took our chances.

Sorry, I digress...

I am worried that my massively woke manager is going to take issue with this...

If he does quiz you about your identity you should pull a Pips Bunce on him and make vague suggestions that you'll report him to Stonewalls..

This happened to me at work back when the Equalities Act came in.

I questioned it with my line manager at the time, and said I felt very uncomfortable with my place of work asking me for details about my sexuality, ethnicity and religion (largely because I get very nervous about "lists" of these kinds of things held by a third party as my ethnicity is complicated, prone to misinterpretation, and I usually feel more comfortable ticking White British, even though it isn't true).

I think I even said something along the lines that it made it all easier when they wanted to bung us in cattle trucks.

I was told then that the records were anonymised and only held by HR for equalities purposes so they could adhere to the law.

So I doubt your line manager would have access to your responses, and I think it would constitute a legal issue if he did.

Furthermore, I am not sure they have a valid reason to ask for your gender identification. It is not a protected characteristic: only sex and gender reassignment are. So they cannot argue asking for this information is necessary for them to adhere to equalities law.

The Collins definition 1 is correct. This is what it means; gender stereotypes are applied to us on the basis of our sex. It's not implying anyone has to conform to those stereotypes - one of the examples makes clear gender stereotypes can be damaging all round.

3 and 4 'some people...' reflects common euphemistic usage. Definition 2 is unfortunately muddling gender and sex.

I think I even said something along the lines that it made it all easier when they wanted to bung us in cattle trucks. *

As in the real historical example from the Netherlands.

*I was told then that the records were anonymised and only held by HR for equalities purposes so they could adhere to the law.
*

Good. They should make that crystal clear at the outset in order to maximise the accuracy of the data.

I find cis highly offensive.

Weirdly, they also asked for gender, and the options were male, female or prefer not to say. Then further down they asked something like "what gender do you identify as?". So not question about sex, just gender and then gender identity!

@Fittata my union (for university academics) sent out a survey on the equality & diversity impact of COVID-19. And had that two-tier (both tiers stupid) question about gender, but nothing about sex.

For a equality and diversity questionnaire. So incredibly stupid not to use the Equality Act protected characteristics.

I a so close to leaving my union for their pushing of gender identity rubbish.

I do not have a gender identity. I am a woman, and I live in a society which is oppressive because of my sex, from the moment of birth onwards.

I doubt your manager would ever see this - the data would be used for anonymised, organisation-wide equality monitory. My company recently updated theirs. There was one page for sex, simple enough, and another for gender identity. I selected 'prefer to self describe' and said I didn't have a gender identity but that my sex was female. I'm hoping some other people within the organisation will do the same, so HR have to at least think about it.

This is something i just wouldnt complete.

go for Tetrisgender - one of the 371 genders defined by myumbrella (who used to include furries but seem to have ditched them now) - maybe you could ask why they haven't got an entry for furry on the list as you feel like there might be some in the company that need that option for their gender expression but might not like to say?

OhHolyJesus

You cannot collect data from someone just because you feel like it, for GDPR purposes they have to have a good reason. Have they said it was compulsory?

This.

Sex is a Protected Characteristic, so they have to record your sex (Female or Male) if they are going to ask all of these questions.

If forced to choose I'd probably identify as a cisgender male, solely for work purposes, and choose to use he him pronouns in my email signature.

If questioned I'd point out that women still aren't treated the same as men, as shown when a man and woman accidentally swapped their e-mail signatures and were perceived as being of the opposite sex, with the man being appalled at the way his opinions were questioned, and how everything took so much longer because clients started second guessing him. Therefore, when forced to reflect on the subject, my inner gender identity, for work purposes, had transitioned accordingly.

I'd be talking to HR if they did not offer "Female" or "Male".

Then I'd sue our firm.

I never disclose my sexuality or religion. Firmly in the NOYB box as far as I'm concerned. There should be a prefer not to say option and you can use this.
I just think it's deeply impertinent for employers to be asking this whatever their diversity policy.

As regards the cisgender option, no way would I tick that. Don't feel bad about ticking the "not listed here" option.
Perhaps more people than you know will be choosing that if only because they do not know what it means!

As this is for HR equality monitoring purposes I don't believe your manager should have access to the information. If they do you may want to consider the Information governance rules and how they are implemented at your work.

I hate this. I mean, if pushed hard enough I guess I could label myself non-binary, a-gender or maybe gender queer. However I do not subscribe to that religion. I am simply a female person, with my own likes and personality, like everyone else. I don't believe in 'gender'..I understand some people do and have some really strong sense f 'inner gender', but that doesn't mean, or shouldn't mean I have to believe in that theory surely?! Mind, the woke insist I AM cis. Though noone is meant to tell or question anyone elses identity Of course, I amd many like me HAVE to be deemed cis, to make other identities special. Its not special if everyone is non binary or whatever, you have to assume the huge majority are boring old cis people..

I am simply a female person, with my own likes and personality, like everyone else. I don't believe in 'gender'

Same Vulva, although I'd add I've always felt resentment about the gendered expectations placed upon my sex. See them as a straightjacket. That's why cis is so bloody irritating.

Diversity & Inclusion is a trojan horse for massive data collection on the personal lives of employees but with our happy consent because it's The Right Thing.

I don't believe for a second that this data will ultimately have a positive effect on recruitment and promotion. BBC has been collecting it for years and they are still a male, white, upper middle class institution.

@Stealhsquirrelnutkin

as shown when a man and woman accidentally swapped their e-mail signatures and were perceived as being of the opposite sex, with the man being appalled at the way his opinions were questioned, and how everything took so much longer because clients started second guessing him.

That's really interesting. Do you have a link to anything about that?