Choice of Male or Female. What data type to use?

[Access_Novice]

I have a field called Gender. Eventually I will connect a form to this table and have a combo box where the user can select either "Male" or "Female." Based on this, what data type should I assign to the Gender field when I'm designing the table in Design View? Would I use the Yes/No data type?

[Ruegen]

Drop down combo box, text field (but a number field on the main form as that stores the ID)- relate main table it to a gender table with a one to many

or if you want it in the same table then yes - as there are only two options () you can make it a yes no a button that but that will only allow you to see if ticked male OR female depending on what the checkbox is going to be if checked. I.e. if checked then it is male, if unchecked then female. So you will have a default which is messy since if the user doesn't check the box the default will be given even if the person is the opposite sex...

I'd go to the effort of the first option even if it means making a new table.

Main table

ID	Name	Gender
1	Bob McGee	1
2	Sally Smith	2

Gender table

ID	Gender
1	Male
2	Female

You can also use group options instead of combo or check

[June7]

I vote for text with M/F and no lookup table.

[Access_Novice]

I vote for text with M/F and no lookup table.

June7. How would you implement your solution of no lookup table? I am just beginning Access.

[June7]

You can use the Value List option of creating a combobox or listbox RowSource.

Properties:

RowSourceType: Value List
RowSource: F;M

Access Help has guidelines.

[Renaud]

I'll add my voice to June7 and would also recommend dispensing with the lookup table and just use a Text field with F, M (or Male, Female, in full at the expense of some database space).
This will make queries less complicated than a lookup table, sometimes we must be careful not to go overboard with unnecessary data normalisation, especially when there is no major upside to it.

Even if you stick with a single letter M/F, and you end up having to consider gender in a less binary way (like in Australia where people can now also opt to have a neutral gender on their official papers), adding more values, like X, will not be an issue.