Categorizing gender beyond the binary: Inequalities in education from a multidimensional gender perspective

This study delves into the multidimensional dynamics of gender and its implications for inequality research by exploring the influence of varying gender categorization methods on educational outcomes. Building upon trans and queer studies, I aim to transcend man/woman and cis/trans* dichotomies, embracing an inclusive approach that accommodates a broader spectrum of gender experiences. I seek to address two questions: 1. Do educational outcomes differ between gender locations? 2. How does the way we categorize gender locations affect research outcomes in this regard? 

This paper advances existing research in two ways. Firstly, it analyzes educational outcomes through the lens of queer and trans studies, exploring multiple approaches to gender categorization. Thanks to the Mexican ENDISEG survey's innovative design, where two different questions related to gender identification are asked, comparisons between trans*, cis, and queer* identities, as well as binary and non-binary identification can be conducted. This survey also has a representative nature, and allows the identification of 441 non-cis individuals. This progressive approach offers a broader comprehension of the multifaceted nature of gender, as well as allowing for an in-depth comparison of categorization methods and their relation with educational outcomes. 

Secondly, as research on non-cisgender population has been predominantly conducted by NGOs and activism, or by United States’ academy, venturing into the Mexican context from an academic point of view presents a novelty. In Mexico, the link between socioeconomic origin and life opportunities is notably pronounced, and heavily influenced by traditional gender norms (Torche, 2015). This presents an intriguing foundation to study how access to origin resources may differ for individuals identifying in non-normative ways, potentially exacerbating disparities in life opportunities between cisgender and non-cisgender populations.

Empirically, the article will investigate three distinct methods of categorizing gender locations. It initiates with a comparison between cis, trans*, and queer* identifying individuals, as well as binary and non-binary identification, following current literature and studies, such as Carpenter et. al. (2020) and Wilkinson et. al. (2021). Later, it assesses educational differentials following Beischel et al.'s (2023) "3x3" framework, considering multidimensional gender identification in terms of cis and non-cis, binary and non-binary identities simultaneously. Linear models are employed to analyze disparities in terms of post-secondary completion within these three ways of gender categorization.

The results reveal significant insights: queer* individuals exhibit an initial advantage in educational outcomes compared to their cis counterparts, although this effect diminishes when accounting for age. In contrast, trans* individuals face significant educational disadvantages when considering age. Surprisingly, binary or non-binary identification demonstrates no significant impact on educational outcomes. In the “3x3” methodology, when combining these two ways of categorization, a leverage in educational terms for queer-non-binary people, while a significant penalty for trans-non-binary people is found.

Understanding gender identity as a multidimensional concept is a very much-needed step forward when seeking to study this population. The results of this analysis challenge past studies where non-binary individuals are understood to be a different group than trans individuals, representing the need to address gender locations in a multidimensional way.