Sociology

Sociology is the scientific study of society. While the methods described above often focus on the individual or the individual’s relationship to one person (or multiple people), sociologists study sex/sexuality in relation to larger social structures and institutions. Sociologists often use large-scale surveys to better understand trends in a given society.

For example, using large-scale surveys, sociologists have found that the percentage of women and men who said that they have had sex with a same-sex partner is much higher than the percentage of people who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior, 2019). In other words, there seems to be a discrepancy between sexual identity and sexual behaviors – something that we will explore more in a later module. 

In addition to large-scale surveys, sociologists also use qualitative research, or in-depth (non-numerical) research such as interviews, big data, or large amounts of data that is collected via search engines, corporations, etc., and ethnographies, or studying an individual culture/group by engaging in on-site fieldwork (the researcher often lives among the group being studied).