gender
The gender the apparel is targeted at. Required for all apparel and accessories — Google uses it to apply gender-appropriate sizing rules and to match items to gender-filtered searches.
Also known as: target_gender
Channel support
| Channel | Status | Field name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Merchant Center | Required | gender | Required for apparel and accessories. Docs → |
| Meta Commerce Manager | Recommended | gender | — |
| TikTok Shop | Recommended | gender | — |
| Pinterest Catalog | Recommended | gender | — |
| Amazon | Recommended | target_gender | — |
| Bing Merchant Center | Conditional | gender | — |
Why it matters
Apparel sizing is gender-specific — a 'medium' women's shirt isn't the same as a 'medium' men's shirt. Without gender, channels can't apply the right size mapping, which produces wrong-size results that hurt user trust and increase returns.
Gender is required on apparel because sizing is gender-specific — a medium men's shirt isn't the same as a medium women's shirt. Without gender, channels can't apply the right size mapping logic, which produces wrong-size results that hurt user trust and increase returns.
The three values — male, female, unisex — are the only accepted set. "Men", "women", "mens", "M/F" all get rejected. The strict enum exists because channels apply size mapping rules per gender; ambiguous values break the mapping entirely. The strategic call: use unisex sparingly. Items designed for one gender but marketed unisex to expand reach end up shown to users with mismatched size expectations, which hurts returns and conversion. Real unisex items (oversized t-shirts, neutral accessories) are fine; gender-disguised marketing is not.
For non-apparel categories, gender is optional but populating it where there's a clear target audience helps targeting. Men's grooming products, women's haircare, kids' toys all benefit from explicit gender even though it's not strictly required.
Format rules
-
Lowercase: 'male', 'female', 'unisex'
Applies to: Google Merchant Center, Meta Commerce Manager, Pinterest Catalog, Bing Merchant Center
-
No alternative values ('men', 'women', 'mens', 'M/F')
Applies to: Google Merchant Center, Meta Commerce Manager, Pinterest Catalog, Bing Merchant Center
Valid examples
male Men's apparel
female Women's apparel
unisex Designed for any gender
Common mistakes
men Use 'male' not 'men'
Women's Capitalisation and apostrophe both rejected
Related fields
age_group The age range the product is targeted at. Required for apparel and accessories — channels use it to apply age-appropriate sizing and to gate items from inappropriate ad placements.
Read moresize The product's size. Required for apparel and footwear, recommended for many other categories where dimensions matter.
Read morecolor The product's colour. Required for apparel and several other verticals. Channels use it as a variant filter and audience-segmentation signal.
Read moreCommon issues involving this field
FAQ
Should I use unisex for kids' apparel?
Use unisex if the design is genuinely gender-neutral. Otherwise use male or female. Don't default everything to unisex — it removes gender-filtering signal and can hurt match quality.
What about non-apparel items?
Optional for non-apparel categories. You can set it where the target audience is gendered (e.g. men's grooming products), but it's not strictly required outside apparel.
Last reviewed: 26 May 2026
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