How Many Sexes, How Many Genders? And What Does This Imply for (Social) Scientists?

In some ways, it can feel like conducting empirical research has become more and more difficult.Some standards that were widely agreed upon in the past for conducting research on gender and/or sex appear to be contested today (see Fraser, 2018).Some questions that may feel uncontroversial to ask for some research participants are a source of minority stress, exclusion, and outrage for others.Can you, as a researcher, even ask for what you think is basic demographic information without revealing certain attitudes and risking to step on someone's toes?The short response is: Probably not.This short response requires some explanations about what makes gender, sex, and sexuality so intimately intwined, and why it is such a contested topic.And importantly: How can we as social scientists navigate this contested field in an informed and purposeful way?