Definitions of the Diversity Data Collected

The diversity data categories used in the ESS Diversity Tool cover the nine equality grounds. All data collected below is required for anonymised diversity reporting, monitoring and analysis. Only selected members of the ESS Diversity Tool Project Team will have access to this information. 

• "Age"

Definition:  Your date of birth is collected to determine your age. In Ireland, general age discrimination in employment is prohibited under the Employment Equality Acts 1998-2015 for those aged 16 and above. 

• “Caring and/or Dependency Responsibilities”

Definition:  Used interchangeably with “Family Status", in a legal and social context, typically refers to an individual's position within a family structure, encompassing their relationship to others (e.g., parent, child, spouse) and any associated responsibilities. It also often includes whether or not an individual has children, and their caregiving responsibilities for dependents, including those with disabilities (IHREC, 2025).

ESS Diversity Tool Options: If you have more than one caring and/or dependency responsibilities, use second screen and choose from the drop-down options.

• “Current Civil Status”

Definition:  The current marital or partnership status of an individual "in relation to the marriage laws or customs of the country, i.e., never married/single, married, widowed, etc.” (CSO, 2025).  Cohabitation is also recognised in the data collection as a household relationship standard. Being ‘engaged’ or ‘in a relationship’ is not recognised in the category as it does not have any relation to the legal civil status of the person.

• “Disability or Ongoing/Chronic Medical Condition or Neurodivergence”

Definition:   “Disability, in relation to a person, means a substantial restriction in the capacity of the person to carry on a profession, business or occupation in the State or to participate in social or cultural life in the State by reason of an enduring physical, sensory, mental health or intellectual impairment” (Disability Act, 2005). Disability might be visible or invisible (hidden). A long-lasting medical condition (chronic medical or otherwise) can also result in a substantial restriction in the capacity of the person to carry on a profession. 

'Neurodiversity' refers to the natural diversity in human brains. 'Neurodivergence' means that someone's brain processes, learns and/or behaves differently from what is considered 'typical'. Some neurodivergent conditions include: Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Dyscalculia, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), and Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC, also called Autism Spectrum Disorder or ASD).

ESS Diversity Tool Options: If you have more than one disability and/or chronic medical condition and/or neurodivergence, use second and third (if applicable) screen, and choose from the drop-down options. Use an open box field 'Details' to type in details if needed.

• “Ethnic or Cultural Background”

Definition:  "A shared understanding of history and territorial origins (regional and national) of an ethnic group or community, as well as particular cultural characteristics such as language and/or religion.” (CSO, 2025). Membership of the Irish Traveller Community is listed as one of the options. 

ESS Diversity Tool Options: If you need to choose 'Other Ethnic or Cultural Background' option, use an open box field 'Diversity - Other Ethnic or Cultural Background - Please enter' to type in details if you you wish so.

Nationality is also collected meaning the legal status of belonging to a particular country, often defined by citizenship and determined by factors like birth or naturalisation. If you have more than one nationalities, use the second screen and choose from the drop-down list.

• “Gender”/"Sex"

“Gender”

Definition: "The socially constructed roles, behaviours, expressions and identities of girls, women, boys, men and gender diverse people. Gender is not confined to a binary, male or female, response option. The gender which a person identifies with may not match the sex category recorded at birth. Gender may be a personal perception of oneself. In contrast, sex at birth is biologically determined.” (CSO, 2025)

“Sex”

Definition: “Biological and physiological characteristics that define you as either male, female or intersex” (WHO, 2025). “Sex is typically assigned based on a person’s physical and biological features. These sets of biological characteristics are not mutually exclusive, as there are individuals who possess both, but these characteristics tend to differentiate humans as males or females. Sex may be understood as the sex recorded on an individual’s birth certificate or gender recognition certificate.” (CSO, 2025, WHO, 2025).

ESS Diversity Tool Options: Click ‘Female’ if your sex recorded on a birth certificate or gender recognition certificate is female. Click ‘Male’ for the same context but concerning male sex. Click ‘Unknown’ in all other scenarios, or if you prefer no to disclose this information. The software is designed to meet current legal requirements, which recognise the categories listed above. If legislation changes to include additional categories, the system will be updated to reflect that.

The ESS Diversity Tool collects both Gender and Sex as two separate data categories for the following reasons:

• The People and Culture system (PeopleXD) collects this information using the legally recognised categories of 'female' and 'male', in line with current legislative requirements — including statutory reporting such as gender pay gap analysis.  If legal standards evolve to include additional categories, the system will be reviewed and updated to reflect those changes.
• Gender identification as a 'woman', 'man', 'non-binary', etc. is an extremely important diversity indicator and necessary to capture areas of underrepresentation or inequality.
• Capturing both 'sex' and 'gender' provides the most accurate representation of the staff population, and avoids conflation of two distinct sets of data.

Read more about Gender/Sex data definitions and data collection.

• “Religion or Belief System”

Definition:  "Different concepts like affiliation, practice, and belief.” A precise definition of the concept of religion, or what constitutes a religion, is challenging. Religion may refer to the religious or spiritual beliefs and practices to which an individual adheres or the religious group to which the individual feels they belong.” (CSO, 2025)

• “Sexual Orientation”

Definition: "How a person describes their sexuality. For example, a person may describe their sexuality as heterosexual, gay, bisexual or pansexual. Sexual orientation includes the concepts of “sexual identity”, “sexual attraction", and ”sexual behaviour.” (CSO, 2025)

Visit Understanding the Equal Status Grounds for more details.

Sources of Diversity Data Categories 

Several authorities and agencies were consulted as sources and mentors of the diversity data categories and definitions. See the table below for the main list.