Who We Measure Matters: Connecting the Dots Among Comprehensive Data Collection, Civil Rights Enforcement, and Equality

Center for American Progress

Authors’ note: In this column, the authors use the term “equality” to invoke the equal protection legal principles that undergird many civil rights statutes. They intend for this term to be read expansively in order to encompass broader concepts of equity and justice. The authors also use a comprehensive and inclusive definition of “sex,” wherein gender is a fluid concept rooted in societal and cultural expectations. This column aims to encompass the diverse experiences of individuals across the gender continuum, including but not limited to transgender, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming individuals.

The article below discusses a range of topics such as gaps in data collection and disaggregation, the Trump administration’s efforts to weaken data collection, and improving data collection in the United States.

Juli Adhikari is an advocacy associate for the Women’s Initiative at the Center for American Progress. Jocelyn Frye is a senior fellow at the Center.