Sexual Behavior in the Human Male

work by Kinsey, Pomeroy and Martin

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Article History

Sexual Behavior in the Human Male, statistical study published in 1948 by A.C. Kinsey and his associates W.B. Pomeroy and C.E. Martin, the first of its kind. Both this work and Kinsey’s Sexual Behavior in the Human Female (1953) relied on personal interviews. Sexual Behavior in the Human Male created a sensation; although it was intended for a professional readership and was largely statistical in format, in the year of its publication it ranked fourth among nonfiction best sellers in the United States. The studies have since been widely criticized for sampling irregularities and because of the often unreliable nature of personal interviews.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Jeannette L. Nolen.