Issues of gender and sexuality that affect young people around the world today are diverse and complex. Different societies define “youth” differently. The United Nations statistically defines “youth” as persons between the ages of 15 and 24, where 1.2 billion people—16% of the global population—are youths. In Singapore, the National Youth Council (NYC) considers individuals between 15 and 35 years old as youths, where a signficant number of Singaporeans and permanent residents—approximately 1 in 5—are youths. This means that paying close attention to the challenges that young people increasingly face is important, especially the contradictory ways in which they experience and embody gender and sexuality in their everyday lives.
The Youth and Society Stream therefore explores how gender and sexuality are embedded in Asian and transnational contexts, institutional sites and social settings, and day-to-day interactions. Some examples of such issues we are interested in studying include but are not limited to: gender inequality and youth access to education and employment; LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer) youth and identity formation; and gender-based violence, such as campus sexual misconduct, workplace abuse and discrimination, and technologically facilitated sexual harassment.
Facilitators: Michelle Ho (Communications and New Media) and Tracey Skelton (Geography)
Gender and Sexuality Research Cluster (GSRC) 