Fieldwork Interrupted: Considering Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic for Qualitative Family Policy Research

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic has had significant implications for the feasibility of field research across academic disciplines. Graduate students in particular can find themselves in the challenging situation of having to re-think their research methods and research design more broadly. This essay outlines some of the implications of the Covid-19 pandemic for qualitative field research as a PhD candidate. In particular, the essay focuses on how a shift in research methods, namely from in-person to online interviews, can have an impact on methodology, i.e. on a theory-based research design. In addition, I consider how the pandemic may have an effect on substantive research results, especially in family sociology and family policy research. The challenge of managing care work during the pandemic and gendered impacts on care obligations have become a topic of political discussion in the past few months. This essay discusses some of the potential consequences of the current crisis for recent parents. Finally, I reflect on intersectionality and the importance of considering demographics of research participants and women in academia when discussing the effects of the pandemic, as Covid-19 has disproportionately impacted BIPOC communities, individuals with low SES and those with care responsibilities.