Yale Sociology Department

Concentration in Gender and Sexuality Studies

Gender scholarship in the Yale Sociology department spans a wide array of substantive issues and theoretical and methodological approaches. Faculty work ranges from the micro-social construction of masculinities and femininities in everyday life to the gendered development of large-scale institutions like the market economy, the public sphere, law, and the modern state.

Among other things, our research and teaching deal with the causes and consequences of gender identities and inequality in the context of families, communities, organizations and nation-states, covering diverse societies such as the Americas; European countries; China and Southeast Asia. Some of us study the gender dimensions of the transformation of global social and cultural networks.

We are also interested in how gendered social structures and identities shape men’s and women’s life course transitions, behavior, and outcomes. In particular, we have strong interests in the relationship of gender identity and sexuality; adolescent development; educational attainment; careers; family formation and fertility; health, and political action and participation.

The intersection of gender with other social categories and processes involving race, ethnicity and class, and the challenging question of the relationship of gender to biological sex differences, animates some of our recent writings.

Our work has inspired us, whether as members of the Women’s Faculty Forum or other organizations, to promote gender scholarship and gender equity at Yale and beyond.