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Statistics on Non Binary People
Article in the Sydney Morning Herald today….
The Census this year will allow citizens to respond as Non Binary.This may allow the first accurate determination of the numbers of Residents identifying as Gender Diverse
Wow what a step forward!!!!
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2 Replies
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After the fiasco of the last census ( http://forum.tgr.net.au/cms/forum/F408/6420-australian-census-offers-other-option-for-gender-question ) this is welcome news that this years census will not require those who identify as non-binary to ask for a ‘special’ form.
Better than that, the article that Caroline refers to
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/census-to-provide-gender-non-binary-option-to-better-measure-diversity-20210114-p56u47.html suggests that the changesQuote:includes specifically asking about someone’s “sex recorded at birth”This has the potential to identify how many respondents have a gender identity that differs in some way from the expected gender given their assigned sex.
It won’t be perfect because I know of transwomen who because they blank out their past will state that they were female at birth.
But even with that proviso, and the inevitable transgender people who are unable to be honest on the form because others see it, it is a leap forward.
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A confusing update on the census from https://www.outinperth.com/abs-says-no-gender-questions-will-be-in-the-census/ posted 15th May 2021
It appears that the option non-binary applies to sex NOT gender. This is great for the inter-sex community, but is a step back from the gender reporting in the last census.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has clarified that no questions about gender identity will be asked in the upcoming national census.
The questions and topics for the 2021 census were announced in November 2020, but recently there has been a flurry of media reports, talkback radio discussion and media commentary on the topic, triggered by an update to the standard that addresses how the ABS may handle measuring gender identity in the future.
In recent days media commentary has questioned if the next census will be accurate if people are allowed to choose descriptors for both sex and gender, however the ABS has reminded everyone the update to the standard does not apply to the current census.
“The 2021 Census will collect information on sex but will not collect information on gender.” the ABS said in a statement.
“The sex question is one of the most important in the Census, along with age and location, it directly feeds into the official estimates of Australia’s population.
“People who wish to report their sex as other than male or female will have the option of a ‘non-binary sex’ response category.
“The ABS defines a person’s sex as being based on their sex characteristics, such as their chromosomes, hormones and reproductive organs.
“Gender is about social and cultural differences in identity, expression and experience as a man, woman or non-binary person. A person’s gender may differ from their sex and may also differ from what is indicated on their legal documents.” the government organisation said.