Measuring Sex, Gender, and Sexuality in Population Surveys
The measurement of sex, gender, and sexuality at the population level has not kept pace with advancements in scientific knowledge on these key constructs. The first part of this talk will unpack the latest understandings of sex, gender, and sexuality from a sociological perspective, and will provide insight into the implications of these understandings for measurement in population surveys. The second part of the talk will show new data from the Gallup survey, which uses more novel measures of gender and sexuality, to show how gender and sexuality relate to overall well-being at the population level. Overall, we will provide guidelines and best practices for how to measure sex, gender, and sexuality, as well as tools to interpret the meaning of data on these fundamental aspects of the self.
About the authors
Rin Reczek is Professor of Sociology and a social demographer at the Institute for Population Research at Ohio State University. Rin has published over 60 articles and book chapters on the topics of marriage, parent-child ties, parenthood, gender, sexuality, and health. Rin has a new book titled, “Families We Keep: LGBTQ People and their Enduring Bonds with Parents,” with NYU Press; this book examines why LGBTQ adults stay in relationships with problematic parents.
Lawrence Stacey is a PhD candidate in the Department of Sociology at Ohio State University, where he is also a graduate student affiliate of the Institute for Population Research. His work examines gender and sexual inequality, well-being, and health. Currently, he is working on a project exploring life satisfaction and hope for a better life among sexual and gender minorities, including how these indicators have changed over time. Recent work of his is forthcoming or in print at Archives of Sexual Behavior, Sociological Forum, Sexualities, and The Journal of Sex Research, among others.
