These 20 Psychologists Weigh In on Gender Identity

Author of The Science Behind Behavior, Uptal Dholakia has looked at the relational aspects of consumer behavior and how psychology influences marketing strategies. He recognizes the need for broader gender inclusion in market research surveys and other questionnaires. According to this Rice University professor, "Asking the 'What’s your gender?' question and providing only the 'male' and 'female' options to choose from ... is an implicit endorsement of discrimination against transgender and gender non-conforming respondents." To be more ethically conscious, not to mention practical, companies need to break free of binary-exclusive vocabulary. However, there is an abundance of gender identities that exist at present, but are still not fully understood by psychologists, so the question arises as to what verbiage should be included in surveys. Uptal adapted his solution from looking at others’ choices and ultimately included the standard “male” and “female” gender options, along with “transgender,” “other,” and “prefer not to say” to best cover this broad-spectrum facet of human identity.

"Asking the 'What’s your gender?' question and providing only the 'male' and 'female' options to choose from ... is an implicit endorsement of discrimination against transgender and gender non-conforming respondents." Utpal Dholakia