Context: imagine we're collecting data for a statistical analysis where biological sex is a factor (for example to determine optimal drugs dosage.)
Problem: when operator (the one who will insert data) is trained then a field named biological sex (or maybe even just gender) may be appropriate and enough. Available options are male, female and other (which must specified and handled separately).
The problem arises when the form must be filled by population under test (directly or with a printed form). My concerns are:
- Are gender at birth and biological sex clear enough (at least for an average English native speaker persona)?
- Is it considered a sexiest/discriminant wording for people with a different or non-binary gender identity? I need to collect only their biological sex, I'm not interested in how they identify their gender and I also want to keep wording as simple and clear as possible.
I'm currently thinking to add a separate, and unused, Gender identity (or I identify myself as) field to avoid ambiguity and to respect their desire to express their identity. Is it a viable solution? Should it be a list or free-text?