Contexts

sociology for the public

Sexuality and inequality research

College women: seen as a “slut” if they have sex on a hookup, “bitch” or “prude” if they don’t

by Michelle J. Cera, Jessie Ford, and Paula England
Walking a tightrope in casual hookup situations, either they have sex and risk being seen as a “slut,” or decline to have sex and risk being seen as a “prude” or a “bitch.” Read More

Class Differences in Women’s Cohabitation in Early Adulthood

by Mónica L. Caudillo, Paula England, and Eliza Brown
It is common for couples of every social class to cohabit sometime in early adulthood in the U.S., and most marry later. However, women from … Read More

an unequal distribution of partners: gays versus straights

by Paula England and Eliza Brown
Partnerships are most equally distributed among straight women and least so among lesbians. Read More

Who has how many sexual partners?

by Paula England and Eliza Brown
A novel application of the Gini coefficient shows how much sexual partners are unequally distributed. Read More

Sexual orientation versus behavior—different for men and women?

by Eliza Brown and Paula England
If you know which sexual orientation people identify with, how much does that tell you about whether they have sex with women, men, or both? … Read More

Discrimination against queer-perceived women

by Emma Mishel
Results from a resume audit study show queer-perceived women are less likely to be called back for a job interview than their straight female counterparts. Read More

Who thinks sex with same-sex partners is “wrong”?

by Jessie Ford and Paula England
Fewer people say same-sex sex is "wrong," but substantial differences between groups remain. Read More

College Men Having Sex with Men: Are They Exclusively Tops or Bottoms? (No)

by Eliza Brown and Paula England
Being "versatile" is common among college men who have sex with men. Read More

Responses to my presidential address

by Paula England
England responds to the questions posed after her address at the 2015 ASA meetings, "Sometimes the social becomes personal." Read More

Women’s Sexual Orientation and Sexual Behavior: How Well Do They Match?

by Mónica L. Caudillo and Paula England
Evidence for recurrent mismatch between identity and behavior. Read More

About Contexts

Contexts is a quarterly magazine that makes cutting-edge social research accessible to general readers. We're the public face of sociology.

It is a publication of the American Sociological Association, edited by Amin Ghaziani and Seth Abrutyn (University of British Columbia), with Letta Page.