Make the Census make sense

Some of you are asking how you can voice your concern about the proposed guidance to accompany the sex question.

You can contact ONS on national.statistician@statistics.gov.uk

Liz Truss MP is the UK Government Minister for Women and can be contacted on geo.correspondence@geo.gov.uk

If you are emailing one, you could copy in the other.

Or you can email your own MP (via https://www.writetothem.com/) using the following form of words:

Dear

I am writing about plans for the next census and the proposed framing of the sex question. I understand that the census authorities are proposing guidance which will advise respondents to answer based on their gender identity, not their biological sex (even though there is to be a new, separate question on gender identity). You can read more about this on the WPUK website: https://womansplaceuk.org/2020/10/17/women-count-women-wpuk-census/

I am concerned that the census authorities are ignoring the concerns of the UK’s leading social scientists, who are worried about the impact of this guidance on the quality of data collected, especially for some subgroups of the population where those with transgender identities might be concentrated. For example, there has been a huge increase in the number of young women who identify as male.

We need robust, high quality data on sex in order to address the discrimination and disadvantage suffered by women on the basis of sex. I’d be grateful if you could raise this with the relevant Minister as a matter of urgency, given that the census is now only a few months away.

Social Media #WomenCountSoCountWomen #SexMatters

You could also contact your MP on social media but please make sure you email too.

As a constituent, your MP has an obligation to respond to you.

Let us know what they say – send us copies of any response to us at AWomansPlaceUK@gmail.com

Thank you

WPUK

18th October 2020