About the Centre

The Centre brings together academic staff from across the arts and humanities, social sciences, medicine and healthcare studies.  We have strong links with other Centres in the School and work particularly closely with The Centre for Disability Studies, The Centre for Families Life Course and Generations and the Centre for Ethnicity and Racism Studies.

Research on gender and feminist scholarship has a long history at Leeds, and the University is home to many leading international feminist scholars. We enjoy excellent connections with Gender and Women’s Studies departments at universities regionally, nationally and internationally, and many of our students and visiting academics are from countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas. The Centre has a lively intellectual culture and is located in the School of Sociology and Social Policy in a newly renovated building in the centre of the campus. Above all, CIGS is a friendly, welcoming and enthusiastic home for those interested in any aspect of gender studies.

We have a large international student-base. We run MA Programmes and attract a large number of PhD students. We have an exciting research culture and organise a wide range of events inside and outside the University.

Our Research Themes

Our Centre’s research is organised around six dynamic themes that reflect our interdisciplinary strengths and commitments. These themes guide our research, supervision, and teaching. We actively welcome postgraduate researchers, visiting fellows, and collaborators whose work aligns with or expands these themes

Gender, Health and Embodiment

This theme explores how bodies are shaped, regulated, and experienced across diverse social, cultural, and technological contexts. Research within the Centre examines topics such as cosmetic surgery, obesity, disability, neurodiversity, and embodied performance. Scholars investigate how health and embodiment intersect with gender, class, race, and transnational mobility, offering critical insights into medical tourism, body politics, and the lived realities of marginalised communities.

Gender, (Digital) Media and Culture

This theme explores the ways gender and sexuality are represented, negotiated, and contested in digital and cultural spaces. Research in this area includes feminist and queer analyses of celebrity culture, digital fandom, dance sport, and online activism. The Centre also explores how digital technologies—from AI to social media—shape identity, visibility, and governance, particularly in relation to marginalised groups.

 Sexuality, Queer and Trans Studies

This theme brings together interdisciplinary research on queer and trans lives, histories, and politics. It includes work on embodiment, activism, religious identity, and cultural expression across global contexts highlighting knowledge from the global South. The Centre critically engages with anti-gender movements, trans rights, and intersectional queer solidarities, contributing to both academic debates and public discourse.

Gender, Development and Working Lives (Urban and Rural)

This theme examines how gender shapes experiences of labour, development, and socio-economic change in both urban and rural settings. This includes studies of youth employment, precarious work, agricultural labour, food systems, and transnational migration. The theme highlights how gendered inequalities manifest in everyday working lives and how they intersect with class, race, and geography.

Gender, Inequalities and Violence

This theme addresses the structural and interpersonal dimensions of gendered violence and inequality. Research includes domestic and gender-based violence, child poverty, and the impacts of colonialism and socio-economic exclusion. The Centre also engages with policy and civic organisations to inform responses to violence and support vulnerable communities, including disabled and neurodiverse individuals.

Gender and Race

This theme foregrounds intersectional approaches to race, gender, and identity. Research in this theme explores racialised experiences in education, migration, religion, and institutional cultures. It contributes to decolonial feminist scholarship and examines how race and gender intersect to shape access, representation, and belonging in both local and global contexts.