TY - JOUR
T1 - For data’s sake
T2 - dilemmas in the measurement of gender minorities
AU - Glick, Jennifer L.
AU - Theall, Katherine
AU - Andrinopoulos, Katherine
AU - Kendall, Carl
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was supported by grants from the US Health Services and Resource Administration (HRSA) Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology Doctoral Training Program [grant number T03MC07649]; the US National Institutes on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) [grant number P60AA009803]; the US Drug Dependence Epidemiology Training Program, NIH/NIDA [grant number T32DA007292]; and doctoral scholarships from the Global Community Health and Behavioral Sciences Department at Tulane University.
Funding Information:
This study was supported by grants from the US Health Services and Resource Administration (HRSA) Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology Doctoral Training Program [grant number T03MC07649]; the US National Institutes on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) [grant number P60AA009803]; the US Drug Dependence Epidemiology Training Program, NIH/NIDA [grant number T32DA007292]; and doctoral scholarships from the Global Community Health and Behavioral Sciences Department at Tulane University. The Tulane University Health Sciences Center Institutional Review Board approved this study. The authors thank all of the research experts who shared their expertise, including Randall Sell, who requested acknowledgement and many others. Further, thanks and appreciation go to Tela Love?who also requested acknowledgement?and all the study participants for sharing their stories and supporting the project. Last, the authors thank Alex Lopez who transcribed the majority of the interviews.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018, © 2018 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
PY - 2018/12/2
Y1 - 2018/12/2
N2 - Gender-minority health disparity research is limited by binary gender measurement practices. This study seeks to broaden current discourse on gender identity measurement in the USA, including measurement adoption challenges and mitigation strategies, thereby allowing for better data collection to understand and address health disparities for people of all genders. Three data sources were used to triangulate findings: expert interviews with gender and sexuality research leaders; key-informant interviews with gender minorities in New Orleans, LA; and document analysis of relevant surveys, guides and commentaries. Ten key dilemmas were identified: 1) moving beyond binary gender construction; 2) conflation of gender, sex and sexual orientation; 3) emerging nature of gender-related language; 4) concerns about item sensitivity; 5) research fatigue among gender minorities; 6) design and analytical limitations; 7) categorical and procedural consistency; 8) pre-populated vs. open-field survey items; 9) potential misclassification; and 10) competing data collection needs. Researchers must continue working toward consensus concerning better practices is gender measurement and be explicit about their methodological choices. The existence of these dilemmas must not impede research on important health issues affecting gender minorities.
AB - Gender-minority health disparity research is limited by binary gender measurement practices. This study seeks to broaden current discourse on gender identity measurement in the USA, including measurement adoption challenges and mitigation strategies, thereby allowing for better data collection to understand and address health disparities for people of all genders. Three data sources were used to triangulate findings: expert interviews with gender and sexuality research leaders; key-informant interviews with gender minorities in New Orleans, LA; and document analysis of relevant surveys, guides and commentaries. Ten key dilemmas were identified: 1) moving beyond binary gender construction; 2) conflation of gender, sex and sexual orientation; 3) emerging nature of gender-related language; 4) concerns about item sensitivity; 5) research fatigue among gender minorities; 6) design and analytical limitations; 7) categorical and procedural consistency; 8) pre-populated vs. open-field survey items; 9) potential misclassification; and 10) competing data collection needs. Researchers must continue working toward consensus concerning better practices is gender measurement and be explicit about their methodological choices. The existence of these dilemmas must not impede research on important health issues affecting gender minorities.
KW - Measurement
KW - USA
KW - gender minority
KW - gender non-conformity
KW - transgender
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U2 - 10.1080/13691058.2018.1437220
DO - 10.1080/13691058.2018.1437220
M3 - Article
C2 - 29533145
AN - SCOPUS:85043719725
SN - 1369-1058
VL - 20
SP - 1362
EP - 1377
JO - Culture, Health and Sexuality
JF - Culture, Health and Sexuality
IS - 12
ER -