The usually dull once-a-decade government counting exercise is at the centre of a row, as members of the gender-identity lobby seek to declare themselves to be whatever they choose. But that would be a missed opportunity for us.
Category: Data Collection
What sex are you? It’s a simple question and one that most of those filling out this year’s census will answer quickly before moving on. But for others, the decision to ask this – rather than allow people to state what gender they think they are – is one laced with controversy.
While transgender people have become much more visible in recent years, our numbers are harder to quantify. In 2011 GIRES reported that:
1% of […] employees and service users may be experiencing some degree of gender variance. At some stage, about 0.2% may undergo transition.
However, those figures were based on samples and estimates, and the GIRES research was completed eight years ago. Society has since moved on, and reliable data is needed, not least to inform the future needs of transgender people for specialist healthcare services.
