Sex, Gender, and Sexuality

Sociologists of sex, gender, and sexuality explore changing gender relations, sexual practices, inequalities, and identities across national boundaries.

Read some of the works of our researchers:

Education

Sexualities

Social Movements

Sports

Work and Family

We offer the following undergraduate courses covering Sex, Gender, and Sexuality:

  • 212: Introduction to Gender (currently in development)
  • 312: Gender Relations
  • 314: Sociology of Masculinity
  • 369: Sociology of Sexualities
  • 414: Feminist Theory
  • 469: Queer Theory and Politics

About this research area:

Sociologists of gender and sexuality explore changing gender relations and sexual identities within historical and contemporary contexts across national boundaries.

A central theme within feminist sociology, the exploration of intersectionality, recognizes the mutually constitutive character of social processes, structures and identities (e.g., through race, class and gender).

An example of research by faculty in this field is the examination of gender differences in settlement experiences among immigrants and refugees.

Pivotal to this field of inquiry is the examination of queerness—lesbian, bisexual, trans, intersexed, pansexual—past and present, in addition to the social construction of heteronormativity and heterosexual non-conformity.

Examples of research by faculty in this area include burlesque, striptease, neo-burlesque, industries of sex workers and sex-related social movements.

This area of expertise excavates the transformation of gender over time, space and the life course.

Examples of research by faculty include the complexities of ‘girl cultures’, school-based youth cultures and care-giving for the elderly.

Some sociologists of gender analyze processes of globalization, the segregation of the labour force, unionization and social policy.

Examples of such research include struggles for pay equity, service work and consumer culture, and single parenting in neo-liberal contexts.