Diversity questionnaire

[Level75]

My work is pulling together a diversity questionnaire and one of the questions is 'what's your gender identity'. There's not one on sex.
What's the best way of recording this info? We need to track if we have trans staff (we do) but I can't see why we'd exclude sex. How do we best cover both? I'm not making this questionnaire but I can influence it.
I think the questions may be copied from a public sector list.

What is your sex?

• Male
• Female

What is your gender identity?

• I have no gender identity
• Feminine
• Masculine
• Non-Binary
• Other ................
• I do not wish to answer

If you don't ask what sex people are how on earth would you know they're trans?!

Definitely second including 'I do not have a gender identity' in the gender question. It always seems to be 'does your gender match your sex? Yes/no'.

I don't have a gender identity, so I'd have to answer no? But that reads as though I'm trans, and I'm not.

You could point out to whoever is in charge that if they are planning on tracking diversity they should probably use the protected characteristics mentioned in the Equality Act eg sex, and gender reassignment. I would also take the opportunity to check there will be questions about disability, sexual orientation, religion etc. I would also check that the questionnaire is properly anonymous and also optional.

You could refer to the Market Research Society guidelines on sex and gender. I can't attach the pdf but it should come up in a search.

I can't remeber off hand the wording, but if you keep GDPR in mind as well - and the need to collect only data that is legitimately needed - I might suggest something like:

1. Sex

F M Prefer not to say (PNS)

And

1. [Copy and paster of Gender Reassignment PC wording] Does this PC apply to you?

Y N Not sure PNS

@FlyPassed I like that suggestion a lot. I'll get them to go with that. Can't argue with the law!

Just checked the Equality Act and it's quite wordy. The questions would read:

"Are you proposing to undergo, are undergoing or have undergone a process (or part of a process) for the purpose of reassigning your sex by changing physiological or other attributes of sex?"

Which seems a bit wordy. Can anyone suggest something a bit shorter?

They need to give an option of saying you don't have a gender identity, not just 'prefer not to say' as this is imposing someone else's belief system as prefer not to say reads as you have one but do not wish to disclose it, and that would be discriminatory to those who are GC.

It's the equivalent of asking are you catholic or protestant or prefer not to say. No space for other beliefs/non beliefs.

I hope my suggestion helps. Let us know how you get on

Because we are where we are I would also suggest couching it in the usual #BeKind rhetoric e.g. helping everyone with PCs to feel comfortable giving this important personal information by making sure we collect and store data in a legally compliant way. Also by making it clear in any survey invitations that participation is voluntary and results will help the company ensure that they meet their obligations as an inclusive employer blah blah blah

My work did this and I recommended that they just copy the wording in the UK census. One Q on sex at birth then one on gender identity. Google the census and you’ll find tbt wording

@Whatsnewpussyhat I'm not going to suggest gender identity at all. I'm going with FlyPassed's suggestion to just cut and paste the PC from the Equality Act. That's about gender reassignment. Avoids the issues about not having a gender identity.

@Whatsnewpussyhat it shouldn't ask about gender identity at all. I would go the GDPR angle as a way to explain it should be Gender Reassignment.

There is no legal definition of gender identity so I think they might struggle to explain why they need that info about their staff.

But yes, if they insist, you should be able to say you don't have a GI

X post! Good luck OP

And they need to include sex and monitor it, not gender identity alone, as sex is protected characteristic in the EA 2010.

Just to add that the purpose of collecting data at work etc., is to then be able to compare it to Census statistics. So it is about the logic behind collecting data.

For some organisations this may mean also looking at local borough / council data if for instance, you are an organisation whose remit is to engage with the local community. I would think this is the only other data source you might want to look at to see how your questionnaire can be compared to those statistics.

It’s a bit daft - I assume you would need to address the issue in the workplace if there was someone who was born one sex yet ‘lives’ as the other/ has the piece of paper.

Now, if you are in a high school and ask the question, you might well get 60+% of the student population claiming to be trans of some type (if you use the stonewall umbrella that could be even higher). Then what?

How is ‘trans’ being defined? Legally or socially?