❗ On January 27th 2025, the gender field will no longer be a default field in the client account. Click here to learn more what to expect when this change comes into effect.
SmartRec’s purpose is to connect people with their communities through shared passions and activities. Respecting and safeguarding our users’ privacy is of utmost importance to us. It’s imperative that we do not force users to share any information they prefer not to disclose. We leave it up to the organization to determine the kind of information they request, including when it relates to gender.
Many of our customers have expressed the need to avoid forcing their clients from selecting male or female as a gender. As a result, we have adapted our platform to remove forced prompts for gender. The configuration flexibility continues to exist, but it is no longer a default setting.
How it Works
1. Account Creation
When setting up a new client account, gender is no longer a required field, whether the account creation is initiated by the user or an administrator.
Upon creation, a person's gender will not be requested, and the default setting will be designated as 'Not Specified' in the back end.
Therefore, the gender field is not always accessible as an administrator in the back office. If a client has never previously disclosed their gender, or they are never prompted to select a gender following account creation, the field will be absent.
2. Cases when Gender Info is prompted
Participants will only be prompted to input their gender if:
An organization has added the question to a form which the participant must fill out.
The participant registers to an activity in which an organization has added gender restrictions.
Admins can toggle the visibility and importance of gender on their registration forms.
3. Gender Options
There are 3 inclusive gender options included in all drop-downs:
Not Specified (this is the default setting for those who have not yet selected from the other 3 options).
Male
Female
Prefer not to say
If you are wanting to provide an exhaustive list of options, you can create a customized extra question with your preferred options. However, it is not possible to link an extra question to restrictions. Meaning, if you would like to restrict an activity by gender, only our default gender question is eligible.
4. Adding Restrictions Based on Gender
If an organization wishes to restrict an activity, membership and/or skill to a specific gender, they will have the option to do so during the configuration phase.
If a participant does not meet the gender requirements, a notification will appear and the client (or admin) will have the ability to edit the applicable profile. Restrictions can be overridden by the administrator.
It is up to the administrator to determine if they allow those who prefer not to say their gender into gender-specific activities.
Restrictions for Activities
When creating or editing an activity, you can alter the Restrictions and check off the gender option(s) you would like to restrict the activity to.
Click here to learn more about gender restrictions on activities.
Restrictions for Memberships
When creating or editing a membership, you can alter the Restrictions and check off each gender option you would like to restrict the membership to.
Click here to learn more about gender restrictions on memberships.
Restrictions on Skills
Skills can only be assigned by an administrator. Admins cannot override gender restrictions on skills - the person must match the gender (Male, Female or Prefer not to say) of the skill for an admin to assign it to them.
5. Recommendations for Organizations
People often wonder why you need to know their gender, and what you're going to do with this information. Here are some recommendations:
If you require a client's gender to be specified, let them know why you're asking by providing a brief explanation in your activity or membership description.
Avoid requesting information about gender unless you really need to.