Feminist Methodology

Question 1

male stream sociology

Answer 1

Many feminists are critical of much Sociology as being ‘malestream’ i.e. male dominated and being based on patriarchal principles. This is because most research has been based on men and has produced theories about men

Question 2

research findings based on male samples

Answer 2

which are then generalised to the whole of the population e.g. AK Cohen refers to the causes of crime as being a consequence of ‘status frustration’ among young working class boys/men.

Question 3

womens issues being seen as unimportant

Answer 3

The issues which concern women have traditionally been excluded or seen as unimportant e.g. how do women experience ‘the family’? By asking this type of question feminists have uncovered the ‘triple shift’ and the issues of ‘love and intimacy’.

Question 4

masculine methodology- oakley

Answer 4

Oakley argues that there is currently a masculine model of interviewing. This involves the interviewers maintaining their distance from the interviewees to ensure that they don’t become too involved or lose detachment/objectivity, reflecting masculine characteristics. The interviewees are seen as objects of the study and have a passive role – they just provide the information the interviewer wants. The role of the interviewer is to uncover the facts. The masculine model also has the aim of producing reliable data that can be repeated and checked. This method gives most of the power to the interviewer rather than the interviewee. This means that women in research have very little opportunity to really present their experiences without the researchers dominating the study and imposing their own views.

Question 5

feminist modal of interviewing

Answer 5

The interviewees are not passive respondents but instead are ‘collaborative friends’ who are helping with the research. The interviews are informal and often involve helping women in their daily lives with activities like housework and childcare, whilst the interviewer also shares their own experiences.

Question 6

collaborative friends

Answer 6

Interviewees should be given the opportunity to become involved with the research and offer insights and information. In Oakley’s research she gave advice to women and ‘played some role in trying to change and improve the experiences of becoming a mother’ – she attempted to change their lives and to empower them. Oakley argues that by doing research in this way it allows the researcher to become close to the interviewees and to see the world from their perspective.