Systemic Error: The Measurement of Sex/Gender in Criminological Research

• In Event: Queering Institutions and Research

Abstract

Gender is a social construct with widespread implications for criminology and criminal justice (CCJ). An analysis of top journals in CCJ reveals that published studies fail to measure this key variable accurately, and fail to adequately acknowledge gender identity. In surveys and secondary data sets, researchers consistently define gender as male/female. This measure lacks construct validity because biological sex is not equivalent to gender. Defining gender as male/female is a measurement error because the attributes of the variable are neither mutually exclusive (e.g. intersex) nor exhaustive (e.g. genderqueer, transgender). In order to properly understand and address crime in the U.S., scholars must accurately measure and discuss gender.

Authors

• Jace Valcore, University of Houston - Downtown

• Rebecca Pfeffer, University of Houston - Downtown

• Meredith Dank, Urban Institute