Gender is a nominal variable.
Nominal variables are categories without any inherent order or ranking. They are simply labels or names.
Gender, like other nominal variables, falls into distinct categories such as male, female, non-binary, and others. There is no inherent order or ranking among these categories.
Here are some examples of nominal variables:
- Colors: Red, blue, green, yellow, etc.
- Marital status: Single, married, divorced, widowed.
- Types of cars: Sedan, SUV, truck, hatchback, etc.
In contrast, ordinal variables have a natural order or ranking. Examples include:
- Educational attainment: High school diploma, bachelor's degree, master's degree, doctorate.
- Customer satisfaction: Very satisfied, satisfied, neutral, dissatisfied, very dissatisfied.
- Severity of pain: Mild, moderate, severe.
While gender can be considered a social construct, it is still categorized as a nominal variable in statistical analysis.
