Abstract
The overall goal of this article is to make a contribution to the developing, but not yet sufficiently explored, issue of methodology in research on men and masculinities performed by female researchers. This article is based on my professional experience gained during a research project on the European fathers’ rights movements. This was conducted between 2011 and 2016 with members of fathers’ rights groups in Poland, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The central issue here is the process of carrying out interviews with men by a female researcher and the variety of gender dynamics produced through this particular type of interaction. This process is connected to multiple issues arising from gender inequalities and power relations. This article provides an intersectional analysis of the relations between the researcher and the researched since social factors such as gender, sexuality, nationality, and social class have a tremendous impact on the interview process in different sociopolitical contexts in Europe.
Highlights
Example #1—2011I am in what I understand to be the office of one of the fathers’ rights movement organizations in Poland
This article has argued that gender and sexuality, of both the researcher and research participants, play a pivotal role in shaping the dynamic and power relations during individual interviews conducted as a part of qualitative research projects
I was interested in the relationship between a female interviewer and male interviewees, in which gender and sexuality intersect with other societal factors such as nationality and social class and how, in three different social contexts, this affects the dynamic of the interview
Summary
I am in what I understand to be the office of one of the fathers’ rights movement organizations in Poland. I am wearing some light makeup, a midi skirt, low-heeled shoes, and my hair is down. We are talking about the main goals of my research project. At some point, he says: emphasize my female shape. I removed my makeup on the train before I arrived at the coffee shop as I wanted to minimize the process of being sexualized, as despite of the claims of some authors that inclusion of the researcher’s erotic subjectivities might be beneficial to researchers (Kaspar & Landold, 2016), I decided not to take this strategy, being aware at the same time that I cannot avoid it completely and need to acknowledge its existence (Rodrıguez-Dorans, 2018). I am not entirely sure what your intentions are, but you are pretty enough to spend some time with you, and only while looking at you: your skirt, your shoes, I’m pretty sure you are not a dyke feminist. (Bogusław, Poland1)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
