Gender as a data structure

Insights from an Italian toponymy

Bibliographic Data

ID24217829
AuthorsFe Simeoni (0009-0004-1515-0236, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano), Maria Menendez-Blanco (0000-0002-7353-5183, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano), Antonella De Angeli (0000-0002-1525-0489, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano)
Year2026
Volume13
Issue3
Publication date2026-09-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueBig Data & Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2053-9517 • E-ISSN: 2053-9517
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/20539517261451459
OpenAlexW7214630997
LanguageEN
References cited67

Critical data studies have shown that mainstream data representations of gender identity misrepresent or erase queer experiences. On the one hand, categorical approaches fail to capture the complexity of genderqueerness. On the other hand, psychometric femininity and masculinity scales offer greater nuance and precision. Yet, they reduce gender to numeric scores, neglecting how people express their identity through words. To tackle this gap, our paper links gender labels to the psychometric scales of the Gender Diamond, a bidimensional data-driven visualisation of the gender spectrum. We systematically map the verbal gender descriptions of 465 Italian speakers on this visualisation. The contribution is twofold. First, we propose key requirements for a data structure for gender identity. It includes independent masculinity and femininity scales, allows multiple selections, and treats labelled scales as ordinal variables. Second, we provide a revised version of the Gender Diamond for the Italian context. It embodies these requirements and provides computational iconography for the existence of genderqueerness. In conclusion, as a pilot exploration, we present our preliminary data on aporinity , a third dimension beyond femininity, masculinity, their mixture, and absence.

critical data studies · Gender identity · ordinal variables · Gender and Feminist Studies · Gender Studies in Language · LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy

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