How WEIRD and androcentric is sex research? Global inequities in study populations
How WEIRD and androcentric is sex research? Global inequities in study populations
Previous researchers have noted the domination of Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD) samples in fields like psychology. In this study we asked: how WEIRD and androcentric is contemporary sex research? We focused on two historically underrepresented groups in research, namely non-WEIRD and women/gender non-conforming samples. We analyzed 2,223 articles drawn from five leading journals in scientific sexuality research (Archives of Sexual Behavior, Journal of Sex Research, Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, Journal of Sexual Medicine, and International Journal of Sexual Health). We coded the national context and gender of sampled populations for articles published between 2015 and 2019 in these journals. Results indicated that WEIRD populations dominate the published findings in sex research (ranging from 68% to 88%). Two journals had a higher number of studies that only included men as participants, and one a higher number of samples that consisted of only women, and very few included gender diverse samples (i.e., non-binary, trans*, intersex). Recommendations for improving the current research and publishing practices are discussed.
810-817
Klein, Verena
ae0b3b07-e55d-4793-bdc0-ceea23f00b9e
Savas, Ozge
9cd8ea0a-be98-48c8-9c35-c225d54428fb
Conley, Terri D.
28d12304-167a-4799-9c66-9fac2f9777e0
2 September 2022
Klein, Verena
ae0b3b07-e55d-4793-bdc0-ceea23f00b9e
Savas, Ozge
9cd8ea0a-be98-48c8-9c35-c225d54428fb
Conley, Terri D.
28d12304-167a-4799-9c66-9fac2f9777e0
Klein, Verena, Savas, Ozge and Conley, Terri D.
(2022)
How WEIRD and androcentric is sex research? Global inequities in study populations.
Journal of Sex Research, 59 (7), .
(doi:10.1080/00224499.2021.1918050).
Abstract
Previous researchers have noted the domination of Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD) samples in fields like psychology. In this study we asked: how WEIRD and androcentric is contemporary sex research? We focused on two historically underrepresented groups in research, namely non-WEIRD and women/gender non-conforming samples. We analyzed 2,223 articles drawn from five leading journals in scientific sexuality research (Archives of Sexual Behavior, Journal of Sex Research, Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, Journal of Sexual Medicine, and International Journal of Sexual Health). We coded the national context and gender of sampled populations for articles published between 2015 and 2019 in these journals. Results indicated that WEIRD populations dominate the published findings in sex research (ranging from 68% to 88%). Two journals had a higher number of studies that only included men as participants, and one a higher number of samples that consisted of only women, and very few included gender diverse samples (i.e., non-binary, trans*, intersex). Recommendations for improving the current research and publishing practices are discussed.
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How WEIRD and Androcentric Is Sex Research Global Inequities in Study Populations
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e-pub ahead of print date: 3 May 2021
Published date: 2 September 2022
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Funding Information:
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions [grant agreement No. 845508] awarded to Verena Klein. We thank Jule Eckelmann and the undergrad research assistants from the Stigmatized Sexualities Lab for their support in coding.
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© 2021 The Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality.
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Local EPrints ID: 474047
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/474047
ISSN: 0022-4499
PURE UUID: 09743a8f-33b4-475d-8cae-2d147e632145
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Date deposited: 09 Feb 2023 17:55
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 04:16
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Author:
Verena Klein
Author:
Ozge Savas
Author:
Terri D. Conley
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