A government-commissioned report has found that official UK data on biological sex and gender identity is often unclear or conflated, resulting in confusion and potential risks in areas such as healthcare and safeguarding.

The review, led by Alice Sullivan, a professor of sociology and research specialist at University College London, suggested that guidance should be updated to ensure both sets of data are recorded in a clear and distinct manner.

Sullivan noted that the term “gender” has been increasingly used as a catch-all term since the 1990s, leading to a loss of data on sex.

The report highlighted that the lack of clear guidance has led to organizations developing their own systems, resulting in mixed data on sex and gender identity.

Sullivan stated that some crime statistics recorded preferred gender instead of biological sex, and NHS records allowed individuals to change their gender marker.

Sullivan emphasized the confusion surrounding the term “gender,” which was once used as a synonym for sex, but now also records gender diverse identities.

She argued that sex is important and should be recorded by default, while transgender and gender diverse identities should also be recorded when appropriate.

The report was commissioned by the Conservative government and has now been released following the election.

The health department has stated that they will urgently address the “serious findings” of the report.

The study reviewed evidence and practices, as well as conducted interviews with organizations, and found that the meaning of sex is no longer stable in administrative and survey data.

The instability in data is particularly evident in areas such as health and justice and has led to a loss of data on sex, posing risks to individuals, especially minors.

The report also highlighted the lack of clarity in how data on biological sex or gender is gathered, with conflated data sometimes embedded in IT systems.

Among the recommendations, the report suggested that the default target for data collection should be biological sex at birth, separate from gender identity.

It also recommended that the NHS stop giving new NHS numbers with changed markers for gender, as this could put people at risk in certain areas like screening.

The report called for organizations to take a neutral and robust approach to the subject and mentioned the existence of a “partisan climate” on issues related to gender within the Office for National Statistics.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology acknowledged the importance of accurate and relevant data and expressed gratitude to Professor Sullivan for her work.

The Department for Health stated that they will urgently investigate and address the serious findings in the report as they work to reform gender identity services.