Gender Recognition – An attitude survey
Gender Recognition Act 2004
The aim of this questionnaire is to indicate whether people working in your organisation who have undergone a sex change are respected and dealt with in a dignified way. It’s best not to think too long about the questions and statements below; follow your initial feeling.
It should take about five minutes to complete the questionnaire. Answer all the questions by ticking the box that best reflects your view, return the completed form anonymously to whoever is doing the survey.
The completed questionnaires will be collated and analysed to indicate how your organisation deals with people who have undergone a sex change and whether it complies with equality laws.
Definitions
The definition of transgender is when an individual changes their sex from male to female or female to male (sex change), because they feel that their bodies are different from how they feel about their sexual identity.
Gender reassignment is the medical procedure of changing a male into a female or a female into a male so that their bodies match their gender identity.
Would you have known this prior to filling out this questionnaire?
YesNo
How many people from the UK’s 60 million population do you think have undergone genderreassignment?
1,0005,00025,000
For the correct answer see end of the gender recognition survey.
In this section please tick the box that best reflects experience at your workplace and say whether or not each of the following happens.
1.Do you use nick names at work tease, or tell jokes about other members of staff?
YesNo
1a.Do your colleagues use nick names, tease, or tell jokes about other members of staff?
YesNo
2.Are you more likely to have nick names, tease, or tell jokes about other members ofstaff if you think they have had or are having a sex change?
YesNo
2a.Are your colleagues more likely to have nick names, tease, or tell jokes about other members of staff if they have had or are having a sex change?
YesNo
3.My organisation has a policy for staff that outlines the support structures available to staff who have undergone or are undergoing gender reassignment?
YesNo Not sure
3a.My work colleagues would support someone in my organisation that is undergoing‘gender reassignment’?
AgreeDon’t agree Not sure
4.My management would support someone in my organisation that is undergoing‘gender reassignment’?
AgreeDon’t agree Not sure
5.My organisation is a welcoming placefor someone undergoing ‘gender reassignment’?
AgreeDon’t agree Not sure
6.It is ok to have transgender people in my workplace?
YesNo Not sure
7.It is a good idea to have support groups in my organisation for transgender people?
YesNo Not sure
8.My organisation should have somebody who would provide support for work colleagues during gender reassignment?
AgreeDon’t agree Not sure
9.It is ok for someone changing from one gender (for example male to female) toanother to use the facilities (including toilets) of that new gender?
AgreeDon’t agree Not sure
There are 5,000 transgender individuals in the UK.
About this questionnaire and what it’s designed to do
The aim of this questionnaire is to indicate whether people are likely to be treated fairly regardless of their sexual orientation or transgender status (i.e. where they have had a sex change).
This is an informal ‘audit tool’ designed as a first step, to provide you with insight into you and your organisation. Its focus is on equality of opportunity in the workplace whatever people’s sexual orientation or transgender status following legislation introduced in 1999, 2003 and 2004. The results indicate whether your organisation is probably complying with the law on sexual orientation and transgender status - there is another audit tool for the religious belief aspects of the law.
This audit is definitely not a test; it’s designed to bring a sensitive topic out into the open and allow you to gauge whether your organisation protects basic equal rights at work whatever the individual’s sexual orientation/gender status in their personal lives (for example, equal pay, protection from discrimination in promotion, dignity, right to privacy, time off, a right to be informed about change and if possible consulted).
The laws above apply to all organisations in Great Britain; you can find more information about them and advice about what you can do within your organisation to encourage compliance on the Acas website, or you can call one of the regional Acas offices.
We hope you’ve found the exercise.