Sociology is the study of societies. Sociology analyzes various social phenomena, such as ethnicity, gender, and sexuality, to gain a better understanding of the dominant values ​​[and "norms"] that underlie the functioning of a society and provide an individual with meaning of belonging or attachment. This view of human behavior, both as an individual and as part of a group, has formed the foundation of sociological thinking in the past and is still relevant to understanding the present and future. This essay is divided into three main points: the story; legacy systems and thinking; and the role of institutions in modern society – to support the role of sociology in helping us understand "sex, gender and sexuality" as important social phenomena. Holmes, Hughes and Julian (2012, p. 22) introduce us to Emile Durkheim, Max Weber and Karl Marx – the three eminent social thinkers of the 19th century. Through their respective works, we are presented with "social integration, social inequality and social reproduction" as the three models that are still very relevant in sociological studies today. Durkheim, Weber, and Marx each used historical, critical, and comparative methodologies to support their theories. Today these methodologies, when employed together, are known as the “sociological imagination”. The sociological imagination gives meaning to the history that created the current configuration; compare the circumstances of the past and present; and critically analyzes how these meanings affect an individual in his or her current environment (Holmes, Hughes; and Julian, 2012, pg). Marx's theoretical thought is based on inequality and social reproduction, most evident in his interpretation of capitalism. Overall, we associate...... half of the paper ......economic globalization and the status of women in the labor market: a cross-national investigation of segregation and sexual inequality at work. Sociological Quarterly, 44(3), 351-383. Retrieved from: http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/sociology/docview/234980716/30D720B052324D20PQ/2?accountid=10344Thelwall .M. (2008), Social networks, gender and friendship: an analysis of MySpace member profiles, in Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, volume 59, number 8, pp1321-1330. Retrieved from: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/doi/10.1002/asi.20835/full Vaux .A. (1985), Variations in social support associated with gender, ethnicity and age, in Journal of Social Issues, volume 41, number 1, pp 89-110. Retrieved from: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/doi/10.1111/j.1540-4560.1985.tb01118.x/abstract