Getting Precise about Gender and Sex Measurement: A Primer for Epidemiologists

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Getting Precise about Gender and Sex Measurement: A Primer for Epidemiologists

RECOMMENDED BY: KATE WRIGHT, MPH GENDER EQUITY UNIT

1.5 hrs

Accurately measuring gender and sex is essential in the field of public health and epidemiology, as these variables are fundamental to understanding health outcomes across populations. Traditional binary approaches to gender and sex measurement often fail to capture the full spectrum of human diversity, leading to misclassification and biased results. This primer aims to address these limitations by summarizing existing critiques and guiding principles in measuring gender and sex that can be applied in practice and offering updated methodologies for more precise and inclusive measurement of gender and sex in epidemiological research.

By:

Arjee J Restar, Elle Lett, Neia Prata Menezes, Andrea R Molino, Tonia C Poteat, Lorraine Dean, Jennifer L Glick, Kellan E Baker, S Wilson Cole University of Washington School of Public Health, Yale University School of Public Health, Center for Applied Transgender Studies in Chicago, IL, University of California, Duke University School of Nursing, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Louisiana State University Health Science Center, Whitman-Walker Institute in Washington, DC, and Query Research Consulting.

The report emphasizes the need for a paradigm shift in how gender and sex are conceptualized and measured within epidemiological studies. It critiques the reliance on binary, fixed categories that have historically dominated public health research, emphasizing their inadequacy in representing the complexities of gender and sex.

The report advocates for a two-step or multi-step approach to gender and sex measurement. The two-step approach involves separately asking about gender identity and sex assigned at birth. The multi-step approach goes further by incorporating additional questions about gender modality, current gender, and medical transition history. It emphasizes the importance of these practices to avoid skewing research findings and perpetuating discrimination against gender-diverse populations.

The report recommends the utilization of these improved measurement practices to enable epidemiologists to improve the accuracy of their research and contribute to more effective public health interventions that address the needs of all genders and sexes.

Download the report: https://genderhealthdata.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/PDF.pdf