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The Relationship Between Gender and Sexual Orientation in Academia
Russell L Steiger1, P J Henry2
1Psychology Department, DePaul University, Chicago, United States.
Journal of Homosexuality
|October 10, 2023
Summary
Gender studies departments predominantly house lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) research and academic programs. This finding highlights the deep connection between gender and sexuality studies across disciplines.
Area of Science:
- Social Sciences
- Gender Studies
- Sociology
Background:
- Academic research and programming related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) individuals often lack a clearly defined disciplinary home.
- The interdisciplinary nature of LGBTQ studies suggests potential homes across various academic fields.
- The theory of sexuality-as-gendered posits an inherent link between gender and sexuality, suggesting gender studies as a likely academic home for LGBTQ research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically analyze the publication venues for sexual orientation research.
- To identify the academic departments housing university LGBTQ-related studies programs.
- To investigate the digital discoverability of LGBTQ studies programs within university websites.
Main Methods:
- Study 1: Analyzed publication trends of sexual orientation research in top-ranked peer-reviewed journals over three decades.
- Study 2: Cataloged the departmental affiliation of LGBTQ academic programming in U.S. universities.
- Study 3: Conducted Google searches for "LGBT studies" to examine website search result prominence.
Main Results:
- Gender studies departments were the primary home for published sexual orientation research over the past 30 years.
- LGBTQ academic programs were more frequently housed in gender studies departments than any other, including dedicated LGBTQ studies departments.
- Online searches for "LGBT studies" often directed users to gender studies department websites, even when those departments lacked LGBTQ-specific courses.
Conclusions:
- The findings demonstrate that gender studies has become the predominant academic home for LGBTQ research and programming.
- The results underscore the inseparable nature of gender and sexuality as intertwined constructs in academia.
- This integration within gender studies highlights a significant manifestation of the theory of sexuality-as-gendered in academic organization.
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