This is a large research area within sociology. Central is the social construction of gender, and how this relates to other social identities such as gender, race, class, sexuality among others and how these social forces relate to the overall social structure and power relations in society.
Sociologists within this research area study a wide range of topics with a variety of research methods, including topics like identity, social interaction, power and oppression, and intersectionality; the interaction of gender with other social forces like race, class, culture, religion, age, and sexuality, among others. Researchers often examine the power relationships that follow from the established gender order in a given society, as well as how this changes over time and across cultures. Studies in gender equality are often concerned with positions, conditions and possibilities of men and women in society. Examples are studies on the gender wage gap and how fathers and mothers share childcare responsibilities.