Mixed Methods in Studies on Women’s Struggle for Land Rights in Brazil

Abstract

This study focuses on the extent to which mixed methods have been used in studies of rural women’s struggle for land rights in Brazil based on an analysis of a database of theses managed by the Brazilian government. The analysis focused on three aspects of the studies: identification of methodology, representation of the rural women’s voices, and whether the studies highlighted the women’s role as active agents. Mixed methods guided the analysis strategy of the studies themselves. The results indicate that 74% of the studies use qualitative methods, 22% use mixed methods, and only 4% were exclusively quantitative. Consideration of the studies quality reveals that mixed methods potentially provide a better understanding of the complexity in the struggle for land by women.