Final answer:
Michael Kimmel's research primarily focuses on how society and culture impact gender roles, and the way these influences shape individuals' lives and contribute to gender inequality.
Step-by-step explanation:
In Michael Kimmel's research on gender and sexuality, the primary focus is Option 2: The impact of society and culture on gender roles. Kimmel's work emphasizes how gender roles are learned and performed through the process of socialization involving family, education, peer groups, and mass media. He asserts that the gender categories we adopt are filled with societal expectations and conditions that significantly influence our lives, including what we can do and where we can go. Understanding these societal pressures and their resultant gender inequality is central to Kimmel's research on gender and sexuality. In Michael Kimmel's research on gender and sexuality, the primary focus is on Option 2: The impact of society and culture on gender roles. Kimmel is known for his work in sociology and gender studies, particularly exploring how societal and cultural factors shape and influence gender roles and expectations. His research delves into the social construction of gender, examining how norms, stereotypes, and expectations are created and perpetuated within different cultural and societal contexts. Kimmel's work contributes to understanding the complex interplay between individual identity, societal structures, and cultural influences in shaping perceptions of gender.