Claims to (S)expertise in the British Sex Survey, c. 1960s–1990s

Abstract

Summary This article focuses on one main producer of knowledge about sexual subjects in the twentieth century: the social sciences. Sociological interest in issues relating to sex and sexuality intensified in the 1950s, along with the rise of post-war social science deployed to gather information on a changing post-war British nation. Family planning surveys were central to this new academic sociology, and increasingly framed women respondents as experts on family planning practices. This article argues that social surveys related to contraceptive and sexual health practices became increasingly interested in questions of subjectivity from the 1970s, reflecting a broader shift in the social sciences. This led researchers to turn their attention towards men as valid contributors. In doing so, this article charts the development of sexual knowledge and makes broader interventions into the history of knowledge production, by providing insights into the changing ideas regarding legitimate sources of knowledge and expertise.