Is it possible for men to carry out valid feminist research?

[AgentZigzag]

I just came across this article, which said it's wrong to ask the question of whether men can carry out feminist research because it's desirable for men to carry out anit-patriarchal and pro-feminist research, but if it proves difficult for them 'they must hand over control of the design and carrying out of 'their' research to the critical reference group of women'.

'No doubt, feminist research is research ?on? women, ?for? women, ?about women? but not only by women.'

Why encourage men to be involved in feminist research for reasons of equality, but advise the design and data gathering to women?

That's not equality is it?

If men are deemed fit to carry out feminist research then they're fit to carry it out aren't they?

You don't have to have first hand experience of a subject in order to research it, so are women a necessary constituent of valid feminist research?

(just to clarify without directing how posters can answer, I'm aware the article can be ripped to pieces critically evaluated, but I was more interested in the ideas it put forward rather than what evidence those ideas rest on IYSWIM)

Absolutely, which is why my follow up post having read the article said that the writer needs to read a couple of basic texts. Any researcher can introduce bias. A middle class woman from a naice two parent upbringing and university education interviewing a homeless single mother who left state Ed at 14 would have a number of obstacles to get over before being certain that shebwasn't introducing bias in either her questioning or her evaluation of the responses.

in my very limited and humble opinion, decent researchers will take steps to minimize this perfectly ordinary bias (whether due to growing up with a penis or a roof over your head) and be able to assess the effects of the bias in both the research design, data collection, and interpretation, and account for it. but it does mean being v honest about yourself, before you try and focus on other people. Which isn't always pretty.

I think the idea that one needs personal anecdote experience in order to be qualified to work in a certain field is stronger in some fields than others - e.g. some people thinking only women (or in extremer opinions only mothers) can be good midwives, whilst nobody thinks that a good oncologist needs to have had cancer themselves.

I find it quite worrisome if research in any field would be rejected out of hand simply based on the researcher's gender. Also if only research that confirms ideas borne out of a certain philosophical stance is regarded as valid research, that actually turns the purpose of doing research on its head.

Any intelligent well-trained person should be capable of carrying out unbiased research, no matter what their personal experience.

What sgm said. Anyone who thinks there is such a thing as unbiased research really needs to read any book on research written post the 1960s.

Discussions of who it is and isn't appropriate for research to be carried out by isn't exclusive to feminist research and is hardly a radical notion. All researchers have to grapple with their role in the process and make decisions accordingly. Of course being a man writing feminist research would have to consider what this means and make judgements on their research accordingly. None of this is the least bit radical.

Morebeta I do hope you are equally concerned about making sure all the many many many all male research teams bring in a woman so they don't engage in group think?

"Of course being a man writing feminist research would have to consider what this means and make judgements on their research accordingly. None of this is the least bit radical."

Granted, but equally a woman writing feminist research needs to take into consideration her own bias and make judgements accordingly.

AlwaysWild - that is a problem in some/many research teams. Not enough women researchers - although we had a diverse group of nationalities we only had 20% women in our quite small team.

I hope to be rejoining academic life soon (after a ten year break) so it will be interesting to see how things have changed. My DW is an academic (part time) and she is applying for research funding under a special programme aimed at increasing the amount of funding that female researchers get - which is another major problem.

WW you obviously missed the sentence prior to the one you quoted where I said all researchers need to grapple with these issues.

Yes MB it is a huge problem. I saw a presentation not so long ago on a piece of research that identified that most female professors were divorced and without children, whilst most male professors had a wife and children. So not an easy life for women.

Not that I'm wanting to worry you of course