IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/popdev/v51y2025i1p519-538.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Recognizing Identity Fluidity in Demographic Research

Author

Listed:
  • Aliya Saperstein

Abstract

Standard demographic research has typically constrained the existence of identity fluidity, assuming that demographic categories such as race or ethnicity and sex or gender should be static across the life course and measuring them as such. However, recent research and changes in data collection practices highlight the limitations of this approach by demonstrating fluidity in both racial and gender identities that rivals levels of fluidity in other identity categories, such as sexual orientation, that are more commonly seen as changeable over time. This review examines what is known about current levels of fluidity in gender, sexual orientation, and racial identities as well as known correlates and consequences for research on inequality, based primarily but not exclusively on research conducted in the United States. The implications of fluid identities for data collection and analysis, as well as prospects for future levels of fluidity, are also discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Aliya Saperstein, 2025. "Recognizing Identity Fluidity in Demographic Research," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 51(1), pages 519-538, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:popdev:v:51:y:2025:i:1:p:519-538
    DOI: 10.1111/padr.12670
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/padr.12670
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/padr.12670?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:popdev:v:51:y:2025:i:1:p:519-538. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0098-7921 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.