Dictionary, Census of Population, 2021
Gender

Definition

Gender refers to an individual's personal and social identity as a man, woman or non‑binary person (a person who is not exclusively a man or a woman).

Gender includes the following concepts:

• gender identity, which refers to the gender that a person feels internally and individually;
• gender expression, which refers to the way a person presents their gender, regardless of their gender identity, through body language, aesthetic choices or accessories (e.g., clothes, hairstyle and makeup), which may have traditionally been associated with a specific gender.

A person's gender may differ from their sex at birth, and from what is indicated on their current identification or legal documents such as their birth certificate, passport or driver's licence. A person's gender may change over time.

Some people may not identify with a specific gender.

Statistical unit(s)

• Person

Classification(s)

• Cisgender, transgender and non-binary
• Gender

Reported in

2021

Reported for

Total population

Question number(s)

Direct variable: Question 3

Responses

Male; Female; Please specify this person's gender

Remarks

Beginning in 2021, the variable "gender" is expected to be used by default in most social statistics programs at Statistics Canada.