3) Stratification variable
Explanation:
- In Stratified Sampling, the population is divided into subgroups (strata) based on a specific characteristic, and then random samples are taken from each stratum.
- In this case, gender is the variable used to divide the population into strata (males and females).
- The variable used for this division is called the stratification variable because it is used to create homogeneous groups before sampling.
Thus, gender is the stratification variable in this scenario.