Beyond the Male/female Binary: Gender Equity and Inclusion in Evaluation Surveys

Abstract

Many museums collect data about their staff, volunteers, and/or visitors in some capacity, and questions about sex and gender are ubiquitous on their forms and surveys. However, museums can do more to consider the inclusivity of their sex and gender questions by going beyond the male/female binary. Museums should consider the needs of transgender and non-binary respondents in rethinking their gender data collection efforts. Several options for doing so include a two-step format, an open-ended format, a hybrid format, and a direct response format. The best option for individual museums or surveys will depend on what questions need to be answered, who will be answering them and how, how much data will be collected, staff capacity for analyzing and tabulating the data, and how the information will be used. However, all options represent a move forward from only offering respondents a choice between “male” and “female,” and more respondents will have the opportunity to represent themselves accurately.