Gender, Sexuality and Society (MSc)

The programme Gender, Sexuality and Society is a track of the Master's programme in Sociology. Gender and sexuality studies are devoted to enhancing our understanding of the differences between certain groups of women and certain groups of men as well as between women and men in an era of globalisation and transnational migration. A range of distinctions among and between women and men are grounded in ethnic and religious identities, age categories, class, sexual orientation and access to political power. These distinctions result in different experiences and entitlements in civil society and citizenship. In this programme, structurally embedded norms concerning gender relations and sexual behaviour are addressed systematically, together with other analytical variables such as class, ethnicity, religion, age and political ideology. The MSc in Gender, Sexuality and Society offers students an interdisciplinary approach to some of the main concerns of our time.

Studying Gender, Sexuality and Society at the University of Amsterdam

The Master's programme in Gender, Sexuality and Society benefits from its location both in the city of Amsterdam and at the UvA, a major centre for social science research. Amsterdam is notorious for its red light district, but the visibility of sex work in the city is just one of the many complex issues relating to gender and sexuality that get played out in the Netherlands' biggest urban centre.

Our students learn from an environment where problems concerning gender and sexuality and their interaction with issues of migration, economic stratification, urban development and mainstream and underground urban cultures are constantly present.

The Amsterdam School for Social science Research (ASSR) houses a number of international researchers who work on topics in gender and sexuality studies. Many of these researchers serve as lecturers and student advisers in the MSc in Gender, Sexuality and Society.