Join us for the public launch of a new exhibition curated by Art History 320 students in collaboration with the Archer Library & Archives. The exhibition includes original and reproduced pieces from Mary Filer’s 4500+ piece collection in the Archives’ holdings, along with extended labels and reflective statements written by the students.
December 12th – 4:00- 5:00
Archway Gallery
Archer Library (first floor)
– by Kaetlyn Phillips
Thanks and appreciation to Ari at UR Pride for talking to me about this topic.
There are two phrases that come to mind when I think about invisible data. First, “what is measured, is treasured.” Second, “If it counts, it is counted; if it isn’t counted, it doesn’t count.” Now, these are simplified phrases describing complex matters when it comes to data and data collection, but the message is important. Visibility matters. Representation matters. Invisible data builds oppressive and harmful systems. In 2021 Canada became the first nation to collect and release census data on transgender and non-binary people. In this blog we are going to explore what became visible and what remains invisible for now.
The 2021 census is most likely the largest dataset measuring gender and sex at birth in Canada and provides a nation-wide snapshot of the population of gender minorities. It’s obvious that sensitivity and community consultation occurred when designing a more inclusive series of questions on gender, but no question is going to be perfectly written and perfectly executed. In the case of the census, there are two key changes. First, each household member was asked sex at birth. Second, each household member was asked their gender. The options for gender were male, female, and a blank category. The blank category was intended to allow diverse answers, but some terms were aggregated into a non-binary category. Aggregation is typically done to protect confidentiality and to make the data more manageable, but this does make some of the data invisible. Gender identity is diverse and choosing a term to describe one’s identity is personal. The story behind why people choose specific terms to describe themselves is a valuable part of representation that simply can’t be captured by the two questions on the census.
We also need to consider how the data was collected and why some data may still be invisible. The census is a household survey and as a result data on trans and non-binary youths were able to be collected. However, we need to consider that coming out is a complicated process that can also be dangerous, with danger possibly coming from one’s own family. We know from other Statistics Canada surveys, the Survey of Safety in Public and Private Spaces and the Canadian Health Survey of Children and Youth, that trans and non-binary people are more likely to experience discrimination and violence. As a result, it’s possible some people chose to not to disclose this information because they didn’t feel safe or didn’t feel ready.
Which brings us to the next aspect of the new data to consider: What is still invisible? One benefit of the census data is the release of more detailed data breakdowns. Currently the data are available at provincial and territorial levels and urban centres, but usually more granular data are released as analysis is completed. These granular data are accessible to researchers either through Public Use Microdata Files, Real Time Remote Access, custom tabulations, or through Research Data Centres. The level of access is determined by the sensitivity of the data and to protect the privacy of the participants. In Canada, one benefit of the more granular data is they allow us to explore urban / rural divides and barriers for trans and non-binary people. This could be particularly beneficial in using data as evidence to address barriers in healthcare access, poverty vulnerability, and experiences of violence and victimization. Other studies done by government committees and community-based research groups (including Sex Now and Trans Pulse) have already shown these barriers, but the census data – and more diverse data collection from Statistics Canada – can add to the analysis.
What needs to be done next? The change to the census is a first step in being more representative in terms of data collection. I hope it represents a path forward where Statistics Canada, and other survey based data collection, improves questionnaires to better reflect gender diversity.
Local Support Networks:
Tomorrow we celebrate International Day Of Persons With Disabilities, which aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities.
The Archer Library and Archives is committed to providing service and accessibility to students with disabilities: https://library.uregina.ca/c.php?g=606248&p=4202362
From December 8th to the 21st Regina Public Library and the Archer Library are hosting study spaces at multiple locations in Regina.
Scan the QR Code to check great place to study during finals!
– by Kaetlyn Phillips
As previously discussed, when collecting data, especially survey data, it’s important to make sure the sample is representative of the population. So what happens when certain groups are excluded from the data?
To start ask yourself, what are the symptoms of a heart attack?
If you said chest pain, shortness of breath, and arm or shoulder pain, you’d only be partially correct. Those are the symptoms of heart attack for men. For women, the symptoms are similar but different enough that many women could miss that they were having heart attacks. There are also data to suggest that doctors are more likely to misdiagnose heart attack in women because the different symptoms. Personally I didn’t know there was a difference until 2012 (Thank you Elizabeth Banks!).
So how is this relevant to data? Well, this is an example invisible data. We live in a society where the default for data collection is still cisgender (majority white) men, so a lot of our data are biased. There are numerous examples of how this data bias has real world effects:
Data drive our society, and we are constantly looking for data to make evidence based decisions. Using data to make decisions is not a bad thing! Using data from only one segment of the population is concerning. When we are using data from only one section of society the results can be misinformed and our decisions can be flawed. It’s important to note that this is not always intentional and malicious, most missing data is due to male-dominance in data collection fields. If we don’t see and include representation, we don’t consider other perspectives. This is even more relevant as we shift to more AI driven data collection. The majority of research and work in AI and machine learning is conducted by men, potentially creating more gender based data bias.
If you’d like to learn more about the invisible data and data bias based on gender, my main source for this post was Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez. HOWEVER, please note that while this book has numerous examples of gender based invisible data, there is a glaring omission. Invisible Women only looks at data bias from a cisgender perspective, so the book has its own problem with missing data from transgender and non-binary folx. With that in mind, next month I will be looking at the issues of invisible data from 2SLGBTQIA+ communities.
The Dr. John Archer Library and Archives invites applications from dynamic, proactive, service- and team-oriented candidates for the tenure-track position of Associate Dean (Teaching, Learning, and Research). We are seeking an innovative, motivated, enthusiastic, results-oriented librarian. As the ideal candidate, you will have a strong background in strategic visioning, policy and program development, service operations, leadership and staff engagement, and building lasting connections across the library, the university, and with community partners.
View the full position description or visit the U of R Career website for more information!
The Archer book sale in support of the United Way is done for another year. Thanks to everyone who donated books, shopped at the sale and helped with logistics. Together we raised $1516.15 for the University’s United Way campaign.
Earlier this year, The Archer Library received one of 950 limited edition signed copies of Antarctica, donated by the authors Pat and Rosemarie Keough. This lavish and celebrated publication contains, in addition to extensive text, 345 colour photographs documenting two years of Antarctic expeditions. The library is pleased to own what the Los Angeles Times called one of “the finest original art books produced in modern times.”
This book is available for viewing in the University of Regina Archives Reading Room, during the Archives Reference Desk regular hours of operation (Monday to Friday, 9 am – 4 pm.)
May the beauty of the Diwali season fill your home with happiness.
Congratulations to the winners of the Dr. John Archer Library & Archives inaugural 2-Sentence Horror Story Contest! Students were invited to submit original horror stories about any terrifying topic or gruesome subject, in two sentences and 400 characters (or less) in length. Entries were judged in a blind review by a panel of Library staff, with the two winners awarded a University Campus Store gift card, and the runner-up receiving a bag of Archer goodies. Read on to view the winning submissions…. if you dare.
Winner
Paige Dahlman, undergraduate (Major in Psychology and Major in Human Justice)
She stood alone, watching the burial from afar. A chill ran down her spine as a cold breath whispered in her ear, “you’re next”.
Winner
C J Hinz, undergraduate (Psychology)
As I opened the Archer Library’s link to the 2-sentence horror story contest, there it was, staring me in the face among the contest rules: 400 characters or LESS (not fewer)? Oh, the horror!
Runner-up
Rylee Phillips, undergraduate (Education)
They were such a beautiful couple, the ones that rented my old home. Such a shame that they weren’t warned that I never left.
