Sex
Sophie Davies
Public
Seen by 5
Sex is the distinction between males and females based on the biological differences in sexual characteristics.
Sex is a fundamental demographic characteristic used in social and population analysis. It is used to analyse most social statistics such as employment, health, and education. Collecting data on sex is a legal requirement under the Statistics Act 1975.
While the inclusion of sex in the census is not in question, there is potentially a need for changes to the categories used. Currently there are two categories: male and, female. However, some people are born biologically intersex and some people make transitions. Although this group is small, currently they cannot represent their biological sex in this question.
Concerns have been raised about how including an intersex category would affect the quality and comparability of the sex data from the census. Defining what is meant by biologically intersex may be difficult on a self-completed form with finite space. Another potential issue is that including an intersex category may elicit false responses from some respondents.
Our current recommendations relating to sex
Collecting data on sex is required by law under the Statistics Act 1975, and will be collected in the 2018 Census.
We will do more testing and research to explore the possibility of collecting information on those who are biologically intersex.
See our preliminary view of 2018 Census content (pages 14-15) for a more detailed discussion on sex information.
See 2013 Census information by variable for information on the sex variable.
Megan Bowra-Dean Mon 4 May 2015 2:04AM
@ellaanais As I noted in my comments earlier, due to the effect of sex hormones and what these statistics are used for, it makes little sense for trans people to provide their assigned birth sex for this question. It's also quite distressing to list yourself as your birth sex when it has little bearing on your current identity.
Megan Bowra-Dean Mon 4 May 2015 2:07AM
@LisaAtStats I would say it's not too difficult for binary identified trans people to answer this question (I answer it with my current sex) but many non-binary trans people may find it distressing to answer this with only two options, neither of which is entirely accurate for them.
C. H. Rose Mon 4 May 2015 4:55AM
I think the really important thing - both for the sex and gender identity question - is to get an idea of how many people in New Zealand are not cis. Could it not be possible to preface any gender or sex questions with this query? And from there people could select male, female or other, with other splitting into a number of pre-defined options and an ability to write in?
Lisa (Facilitator) Tue 5 May 2015 9:02AM
@deb (topic expert) can you please give us a demographers view on why sex and gender identity should be (or don't need to be) kept distinct...
Also just going to provide (or attempt to...) a few definitions for people who are not familiar with some of the terms being used here. I am not trying to incorporate every nuance, just give a general simplistic understanding.
Binary: (in this context): male or female.
Non binary: (in this context): doesn't identify with either male or female
Cis / cisgender: someone whose sex assigned at birth and gender identity match (i.e. a newborn announced as a girl grows up to identify as a woman) (seemingly a lot of the population - many of whom are unaware of this word / these words)
Rogena Sterling Thu 14 May 2015 10:57PM
It is important to get something straight from the beginning. The current definition is not biological but medical. There is not a “distinction between males and females based on the biological differences in sexual characteristics,” except by fiat, standardisation.
In life, each element of ‘sexual characteristics’ as it has been called, in themselves are not indicative of anything by themselves. The development of ‘sex biology’ is not a linear process. Moreover, it is the brain and associated biology which ultimately determines one’s ‘sex biology. (I don’t have time and space to go into the complexity of biology, although it is interesting.)
That is to say, ideological hegemony has been used to create a binary for political and not biological purposes. This brings it back to a circular issue of gender identity.
When one is born, a ‘sex’ is assigned. This is an assigned sex, not one’s sex identity. That is a political sex.
The question needs to be asked: Is this about an imposed sex or sex identity?
Sex identity cannot and should not be decided by doctors. That is an abuse of human rights.
Deb Potter Fri 15 May 2015 6:00AM
Thanks for the invite to this conversation Lisa and thank you everyone for your thoughts and input.
Sex is one of the four key ingredients for demography – the others being age, location and ethnicity. One of the main demographic uses of Census sex data is for population estimates and projections. There is high demand for this information at regional levels for planning service provision.
While sex is the term described by legislation, the actual Census question design is not so proscriptive. It is entirely open for people to describe themselves as male or female: (eg Are you…?) We understand that the data we collect from this is self-defined at the time of the collection and represents how the individual sees themselves. Demographers recognise that people may not fit within either of these two categories and we are investigating the implications of changing how the data is collected.
Deb Potter
Rogena Sterling Fri 15 May 2015 7:00AM
I have been told that adding intersex will causes issues with demography. Can Deb Potter please explain why? and secondly how this explantion justifies the exclusion of a group of people who at estimation should be between 2-4% of the population?
Lisa (Facilitator) Tue 19 May 2015 5:18AM
Hi and welcome @rogenasterling. If we do more testing and research around introducing 'intersex' to the 'Sex' question, as currently recommended here, then any issues for demographers could be addressed then and weighed up with other issues.
Thanks for sharing your concerns about the wording and conceptualisation of Sex. Others have discussed the difference between Sex and Sex assigned at birth. When is there a need to differentiate between these two? (or between sexual identity and assigned sex if that is the preferred terminology).
Rogena Sterling Tue 19 May 2015 9:44PM
Thank you @lisaatstats for your reply, but the human rights need for intersex inclusion is clear. This is something that you seem to agree on.
This leaves to important questions in your answer which are very important for the people on this discussion board:
First, what is the testing and research you mentioned?
Secondly, what issues need to be addressed and weighed up?
Ella Anais · Mon 4 May 2015 1:59AM
Can it be called "assigned sex at birth"?