This report critiques the common practice in political survey research of using biological sex as a stand-in for gender, arguing that it oversimplifies the complexity of gender identity. The authors introduce a more nuanced measure of gender identification and find that while sex can serve as a proxy for gender in many cases, it fails for about a quarter of respondents. Their findings suggest that incorporating more detailed gender measures improves analytical precision and call for further research to refine how gender is measured in political behavior studies.
Biological Sex is Not Always a Good Proxy for Gender Identity
Jeff Graber
Source Title:
Sex isn't Gender: Reforming Concepts and Measurements in the Study of Public Opinion
Source Category:
Peer-Reviewed
Source Format:
Journal Article
Publication Title:
Political Behavior
Volume:
39
Issue:
4
Pages:
1019–1041
Publication Date:
January 28, 2017
Publisher:
Springer
DOI:
10.1007/s11109-017-9391-y
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