Dr Scoats joined the Sociology team at Coventry in 2019. He is the module leader of BA modules Gender and Society (level 4), Scenes & Subcultures (level 5), Family Life & Social Change (level 6), and the MA module Contemporary Identities & Intimacies.

Career overview

He gained his BA (Hons) and Master of Research from the University of Bath, and his PhD in Sociology from the University of Winchester (awarded in 2017). He has previously been a lecturer in Sports Sociology at both Wolverhampton and Winchester Universities, and a researcher at Birmingham City University in the Faculty of Health.

Research

Much of Dr Scoats’ research focuses on people’s experiences of threesomes. Utilising a sociological perspective, his threesome research starts to fill the gap in academic knowledge around group sex as well as reducing the stigma around this behaviour and encouraging more open and honest dialogues around sexual desires. It also highlights how people come to have threesomes, their motivations, and what these sexual encounters tell us about wider changes and developments in society.

He also conducts research in the broader areas of gender, sexuality, and relationships. Some of his recent research focuses on consensual non-monogamy and access to healthcare, women’s experiences in the male dominated arena of modern tabletop board games, and young men’s expressions and displays of masculinity.

External activities

Dr Scoats has given guest lectures and talks at a range of external conferences, universities, and other organisations and events. Examples include: Bean flix feminist porn festival; The Sexual Health Alliance (sexuality educator programme); BPS Sexualities annual conference; International Academy of Sex Researchers; TeachMeet Sociology Icons; and the University of Newcastle (media, culture & heritage seminar series).

He also regularly engages in media work, being interviewed by and contributing to both national and international media outlets. Some of these include: The Guardian; The Independent; BBC Three; iNews; Metro.co.uk; AskMen; Men’s Health; Cosmopolitan; The Huffington Post; The Sun; The MailOnline; LBC Radio; The Science of Sex Podcast; The Sociology Show Podcast; Sex & Psychology Podacast; Happy Woman; Die Welt; and Deutschlandfunk Kultur.

Publications and press

Book-Monograph

Scoats, R. (2020). Understanding threesomes: Gender, sex, and consensual non-monogamy. Routledge.

Journal Articles and Book chapters (selected)

Scoats, R., Anderson, E., & White, A. J. (2021). Exploring Gay Men’s Threesomes: Normalization, Concerns, and Sexual Opportunities. Journal of Bodies, Sexualities, & Masculinities, 2(2), 82-106.
Scoats, R., & Robinson, S. (2020). From Stoicism to Bromance: Millennial Men’s Friendships. In. R. Magrath & E. Anderson, Handbook of Masculinity & Sport, London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Stirling, J., Wignal, L., & Scoats, R. (2020) UK University Students’ Perceptions and Negotiations of Sexual Consent. Psychology & Sexuality. Online first.
Wignal, L., Scoats, R., Anderson, E., & Morales, L. (2020). A qualitative study of heterosexual men’s attitudes toward and practices of receiving anal stimulation. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 22(6), 675-689.
White, A., Robinson, S., Bullingham, R., Anderson, E., Pollock, A., & Scoats, R. (2019). The lack of age representation in the governance of rugby union in England. Sociology of Sport Journal, 36(4), 300-310.
Scoats, R. (2019). ‘If there is no homo, there is no trio’: Women’s experiences and expectations of MMF threesomes. Psychology & Sexuality, 10(1), 45-55.
Scoats, R., & Anderson, E. (2019). ‘My partner was just all over her’: Jealousy, Communication and Rules in Mixed-Sex Threesomes. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 21(2), 134-146.
Magrath, R., & Scoats, R. (2019). Young men’s friendships: inclusive masculinities in a post-university setting. Journal of Gender Studies, 28(1), 45-56.
Scoats, R., Joseph, L. J., & Anderson, E. (2018). ‘I don’t mind watching him cum’: Heterosexual men, threesomes, and the erosion of the one-time rule of homosexuality. Sexualities, 21(1-2), 30-48.
Scoats, R. (2017). Inclusive masculinity and Facebook photographs among early emerging adults at a British university. Journal of Adolescent Research, 32 (3), 323-345.
Murray, A., White, A., Scoats, R., & Anderson, E. (2016). Constructing Masculinities in the National Rugby League's Footy Show. Sociological Research Online, 21 (3).
Anderson, E. Scoats, R., & McCormack, M. (2015). Metropolitan bisexual men's relationships: Evidence of a cohort effect. Journal of Bisexuality, 15 (1), 21-39.

Media Work (selected)

Real, Expert Advice on Threesome Jealousy, And How to Actually Navigate It, Inside Hook, 2022
How to do it, Slate, 2022
Interview with Dr Ryan Scoats, The Sociology Show, 2020
Why do people have threesomes? The answers are not as simple as you might think, iNews, 2020
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Threesomes, Sex & Psychology, 2020
The psychology of the threesome: everyone wants one, but who's truly ready for it? The Guardian, 2020
What a Man Who Did a PhD in Threesomes Learned About Sex, The Independent, 2017