In this article we explain why we ask for gender and Language Option information, and what we're doing to improve how we present these questions in future.
Introduction
Lumina Learning's mission is to transform organisations by celebrating people, one human at a time. To achieve our mission, we have designed our products to value each person equally, without treating anyone differently or drawing inferences based on qualities such as their gender.
When you complete a Lumina Learning questionnaire, you receive a report (your 'Portrait') afterwards from your Lumina Learning Practitioner. Your Portrait is personalised to you and addresses you directly using the personal pronoun 'you'. We write your Portrait and calculate your scores based on your answers to our questionnaires.
Why am I asked to provide gender information?
We constantly monitor our products to ensure that they do not discriminate based on gender. To help us with our analysis, we ask you to provide gender information when you complete a Lumina Learning questionnaire.
This question is optional and you can decline to answer by selecting 'Prefer not to say'.
Why am I asked to choose a Language Option?
We refer to you in your Portrait using your name or the pronoun 'you'. We do not use third person pronouns.
Portraits are available in a number of languages. Some languages use the concept of 'grammatical gender agreement', which means that the spelling of certain words (e.g. nouns and adjectives) changes depending on the gender of the person the words are describing.
For this reason, we ask you to provide your preferred 'Language Option' when answering a questionnaire.
When will I be asked about gender and Language Options, and what options are available?
When you register to complete a questionnaire, you will be asked to provide personal details, including your name, email, and gender or Language Option.
The available gender options are: 'Man', 'Woman', 'Other' or 'Prefer not to say'.
If you select 'Other' or 'Prefer not to say', you will be asked whether you prefer the 'masculine' or 'feminine' Language Option.
Does my selected gender or Language Option affect the questions I see or the content of my Portrait?
Gender and Language Option information has no impact on the questions you answer or the way the scores in your Portrait are calculated.
If two people have selected different Language Options and their Portraits are displayed in a language that uses grammatical gender, the text displayed may have minor spelling differences. However, the meaning and message of the words is not affected by gender or Language Option.
Do I need to provide my gender or select a Language Option if my language does not use grammatical gender?
If your Portrait is in a language that does not use grammatical gender, such as English, we will still ask for your gender and a Language Option. We ask for this information in case your Lumina Learning Practitioner decides to generate your Portrait in a different language.
Do you plan to change the way you ask about gender and Language Options?
We recognise that gender is a highly personal matter and questions concerning it are not always welcome. We want to continue our important task of assuring no gender discrimination occurs in our products, whilst exploring ways to minimise or remove the references we make to gender and Language Options. We plan to make the following improvements:
- Removal of references to Language Options where we know it is unlikely to be relevant, e.g. if you visit the Lumina Learning website in a language that does not use grammatical gender agreements, such as English
- Currently, we only offer the choice of masculine and feminine Language Options because languages that use grammatical gender agreement typically have only these genders. As these languages evolve, third-gender, gender-neutral and gender-inclusive linguistic structures are becoming more established. We are exploring how to incorporate these into our products to give people more choice
I have a suggestion for how you could improve, how do I get in touch?
If you have feedback on the contents of this page, we would like to hear from you. You can get in touch with us here.