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Data Reference Standard on Person(s): Gender

1. Preamble

  • 1.1 This data reference standard provides Government of Canada departments with a standard list of values to categorize data on person(s).
  • 1.2 The list reflects the classifications of gender and is designed to provide common data variables of the reported gender of person(s) or an individual’s personal and social gender identity.
  • 1.3 This data reference standard is to be read in conjunction with the Disaggregated Data Action Plan.
  • 1.4 This list of values is intended to standardize the way gender classifications are presented in systems and datasets.
    • 1.4.1 Appendix A lists reference data that includes one-digit codes for designating gender.
    • 1.4.2 Not included in this data reference standard is an additional two-digit code for further classification.
  • 1.5 The steward of this data reference standard will review the reference data in Appendix A as required to ensure it remains current.
    • 1.5.1 Data reference standard steward: Statistics Canada
    • 1.5.2 Data reference standard custodian: Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, Office of the Chief Information Officer of Canada

2. Effective date

  • 2.1 This data reference standard takes effect on .

3. Requirements

  • 3.1 This data reference standard provides details on the requirements set out in subsection 4.4 of the Directive on Service and Digital.
  • 3.2 Service owners, data practitioners and other individuals who interact with data must:
    • 3.2.1 Apply the reference data linked in Appendix A by using the codes in the table column called “Code” when storing and sharing data on gender.
    • 3.2.2 Use the terminology in Appendix A when publishing data on gender.

4. Application

  • 4.1 This data reference standard applies to departments described in section 6 of the Directive on Service and Digital.
  • 4.2 This data reference standard applies to datasets and systems developed after the effective date of this data reference standard.

5. References

  • 5.1 This data reference standard should be read in conjunction with the following:

Policy instruments

Legislation

Additional information

6. Enquiries

Appendix A: Reference data

The reference data for this data reference standard is available in machine-readable formats.

Visit the Open Government Portal page on reference data on gender for more information and related resources.

CSV format

HTML format

Table 1: Reference data for gender
Codetable 1 note * English title: Human Resources English title: Demographic French title: Ressources humaines French title: Démographique English definition French definition

Table 1 Notes

Table 1 Note 1

Numerical code that is aligned with parts of the Statistics Canada departmental data standard on gender of person.

Return to table 1 note * referrer

Table 1 Note 2

In demographic work, the term “non-binary” has been used, while in human resources work, the term “another gender” has been used. Terminology may evolve over time.

Return to table 1 note ** referrer

1 Man Man Homme Homme This category includes persons whose reported gender is man. It includes cisgender (cis) and transgender (trans) men. Cette catégorie comprend les personnes dont le genre déclaré est homme. Elle comprend les hommes cisgenres (cis) et les hommes transgenres (trans).
2 Woman Woman Femme Femme This category includes persons whose reported gender is woman. It includes cisgender (cis) and transgender (trans) women. Cette catégorie comprend les personnes dont le genre déclaré est femme. Elle comprend les femmes cisgenres (cis) et les femmes transgenres (trans).
3table 1 note ** Another gender Non-binary person Autre genre Personne non binaire This category includes persons whose reported gender is not exclusively man or woman. It includes persons whose reported gender is, for example, agender, pangender, genderqueer, genderfluid or gender-nonconforming. It also includes persons whose reported gender is Two-Spirit, a term specific to some Indigenous Peoples of North America. It includes persons whose reported gender is both man and woman, neither man nor woman, or either man or woman in addition to another gender. It may also include those who reported or were reported by proxy as questioning or in the process of deciding. Cette catégorie comprend les personnes dont le genre déclaré n’est pas exclusivement homme ni femme. Elle comprend les personnes dont le genre déclaré est, par exemple, agenre, pangenre, genre queer, genre fluide ou genre non conforme. Elle comprend également les personnes dont le genre déclaré est bispirituel, un terme propre à certains peuples autochtones d’Amérique du Nord. Elle comprend les personnes dont le genre déclaré est à la fois homme et femme, ni l’un ni l’autre ou l’un ou l’autre en plus d’un autre genre. Elle peut également comprendre celles ayant indiqué ou ayant été identifiées par personne interposée comme étant en questionnement ou en processus de décision.

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2026-03-13