Which measurement scale category includes examples like gender or product type?

The correct measurement scale category for examples like gender or product type is the nominal scale. Nominal scales categorize data without any inherent order or ranking among the categories. Gender, for instance, can be classified as male or female (or other identities), while product type may include categories like electronics, clothing, or groceries. Each category is distinct from the others, but there is no meaningful way to rank these categories in terms of magnitude or value.

In contrast, other scales have specific characteristics: the ordinal scale involves ordered categories where the relative position matters (e.g., rankings in a competition), while the interval scale has ordered categories with a consistent difference between values, but does not have a true zero (e.g., temperature in Celsius). The ratio scale also has ordered categories with consistent differences and a true zero point allowing for meaningful ratios (e.g., weight or height). The lack of order in nominal data makes the nominal scale the appropriate choice for describing categorical variables like gender and product type.