Feminist Research Methods

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Introduction

It is imperative to understand what entails feminist research methods before discussing the ways that these methods can be used to empower women. It is vital to get clarity of why these particular methods are referred to as ‘feminist research methods’.

The study of methods and methodology shows that the unique differences are found in the motives of the research, the knowledge that the research seeks to expound, and the concerns of the researchers and the research itself.

Feminist Research Methods Empowers

A feminist research is an investigation that is conducted by women who recognize themselves as feminists and this investigation has a specific purpose for finding out (a ‘why’), certain types of questions and issues are to be known about a topic (‘what’) (Lather 571).

Feminist studies use identifiable methods of finding out how and these characteristically base their success on the experience of women in a world where women are seen as subordinates to men.

Feminist research methods, if they exist, then how are they different from the usual research methods in the conventional study? In response to these concerns, there are actually no distinctive feminist research methods from the conventional ones.

They are innovations to the discipline-based methods made to the usual survey methodologies, experimentation and ethnography methods (Lather 572). The main argument of feminist research methods in this context explores the viewpoints of women like in networking, conversation, genealogy and multi-person consciousness.

Partly, the dedication to the societal change of a situation where women are recognized for their contribution to the society entails a commitment to the subjects of the research (Monkman & Stacki 174). A feminist research addresses these concerns to a greater length. It can therefore be seen as a way of raising consciousness for the subjects.

When women get involved in this type of studies as active members of the research process, they need space to question and resolutely assess their experiences (Lather 575). These methods also allow recognition of the relationships and the links that connect places, events and their lives and social world (Ramazanoğlu 137).

The empowerment comes in a way that the research methods bring out education and knowledge and the confirmation that women’s experiences are part of a greater social structure. Feminist research methods also help to show that women contribute to development of meaning and participate in processes of analysis based on their experiences (Ramazanoğlu 138).

The discussion among women and the availability of feminist research methods are an opportunity to try women’s abilities in a male dominated community. There are social struggles through power, culture, class and gender. Through all these, women have to be recognized and appreciated (Ramazanoğlu 139). This is what emancipates and empowers the women.

Even though the feminist research is intended to empower women, it often faces tough challenges. Looking at it from the women’s viewpoint, the attainment of knowledge can help to restructure the power imbalances in the research relationship and hence achieving the objectives of informing the society (Lather 577).

In summary, the advent of this type of study design, the feminist research has played a very big role in reconstruction of the domain of conventional research. This has been exposed by new perspectives of research showing the reality of the social status.

Issues like gender ethics, discrimination and female subjugation have helped bring out women consciousness empowering them by offering legal reason for social change concerning issues of gender which adversely affect humanity (Bryson 67).

What Methods and Tools Would You Employ To Empower Women In Development Projects?

At a time when women across the world and especially in Asia are more exposed to the impact of economic downturn the ever before, examining the methods and tools used to safeguard and improve their participation is development project is necessary. Many international organizations for women empowerment focus on initiatives of poverty reduction.

These projects help in addressing the basic needs of the targeted people (Bryson 67). Besides, these organizations focus mainly on provision of the necessary infrastructure which facilitate women’s empowerment like construction of roads, drilling of water and so on (Parvin et al 48).

Essentially, a project which provides safe and clean drinking water helps the women to significantly reduce the time they take to do their household chores. In most cases these have been the tasks of women. As a result, they get more time to take part in the income generating activities in their communities and the girls get an opportunity to attend school rather staying at home to do these household tasks (Bryson 69).

In such cases that women are able to manage their time well and have some spare time that is not utilized by activities outsides their home. There are high chances that this liberated time could end up being quickly occupied by other new household tasks again.

Whereas the connection between the empowerment of women and the community development is obvious, the connection between these two factors is not totally informal and subordination of women does not come out of poverty per se (Oakley 45).

Because of the tendency of the problem to affect the entire society, development of infrastructure, provision of income generating initiatives, support of the women self help groups and institutions of legislations that protect against discriminations are the tools for empowering women.

These methods have a broader goal which is wider that human development and human development on the other hand is much greater than empowerment (Bryson 69). Nonetheless, there is significant overlap of the ideas from each of these concepts.

The overall definition of what entails women empowerment is that ‘they are all processes that women need to take charge of and own in order to improve their position in the society’.

The elements of ownership and control need a wider range of opportunities where women can choose from and this understanding of overlaps the concept of human development when it is looked at from the perspective that empowerment is a process of increasing the number of options for survival (Oakley 45).

In the Asian Countries

The ability of women in achieving better heights in the society is often limited by a number of factors and on top of it all is the agency. Essentially, there is a limitation of women’s own ideas of what they can possibly do by themselves (Parvin et al 48).

There have been laws especially those fashioned in line with religious beliefs and influenced by patriarchal society defining what is legal or illegal for women to do. Besides the societal norms are much stronger and selfish in defining what the woman should and should not be doing (Oakley 48).

These beliefs and influences the activities women can engage in especially their ideas of empowering themselves. Many of them having lived under such influences have internalized views like ‘I am a woman and I am able to do or not to do this because it’s against the society values, attitude and previous experiences’ (Oakley 48).

There are also objective limits restricting the activities that are acceptable and not acceptable for women. In Asian nations, women have mostly been pushed aside by the ownership laws, political rights, access to employment since the woman’s place was determined to be at home, and the inheritance laws where women do not have right to inherit family property (Parvin et al 48).

There is also the limit to the space and activities of women in other societal concepts and therefore tools of empowerment for Asian women do not have particular agent of change but facilitate empowerment as a process of change to be driven by women.

Agency and education

An important tool in Asia has been to build the agency and also ensure the people own and feel that sense of agency. In Asia, the ability of women to define their goals and act upon them to better their lives is pertinent (Parvin et al 48).

The sense of agency is therefore an internal aspect of feeling able to act and also having that potential to do so. Agency is build by providing education. It’s quite clear that lack of it or poor quality education for girls and women contribute greatly to their low status in the society.

Many girls in Asia have previously not attended schools because they were required to stay at home and take care of the home with their mothers. When they marry their role is to take care of the home, children and the husband (Parvin et al 51).

The community at large must confront the attitude and assumptions which keep girls out of school. It is proper to have creative methods of changing the viewpoints of the society concerning education for girls (Kumar 110).

To set up the platform for increasing the enrolment of girls, some laws must be stringently applied. Child labour should be abolished for good so that school going children can have only one job, to attend school. India and Pakistan have suffered considerable problems with child labour issues (Parvin et al 56). There should not be cases of early and forced marriage.

These have been the primary factor why girls in Asia like in Saudi Arabia, Oman, India and other nations in the region have been abandoning school. With many activists outreach organization, the problem has significantly reduced (Letherby 123).

For Asian women, social, political and economical empowerment has had an insightful impact on the position of the women. Generally, women’s position has allowed them to cause impacts that bring changes economic development and favors development equality and enjoyment of human rights.

There have been considerable changes and more and more women have gotten into schools, university and even formal employment like clerical work, service industry and in manufacturing sector. Even though today the proportion is still small, it is growing at a considerable consistent rate (Oakley 49). The Asian nations are adversely affected – especially the idea of sex selection abortion targeting girls.

Most Asian have now set the primary school education compulsory for both girls and boys in many nations in East and South East Asia. More women are enrolling in secondary schools also. South Korea and Thailand have enrollment is the same for both boys and girls.

On the other hand, Philippines’ enrolment of girls is rising above that of boys. Other countries like India, the proportion of women attending college is increasing yet it remains lower compared to that of men especially for college and university enrollment (UNESCO 2000).

Countries like Iran Kuwait, Bahrain, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Qatar among other has strategized to empower women by education. This is because education is the only resource that can improve individual’s welfare in terms of economy and social advancement.

Middle East countries used to exclude girls in education but this has changed dramatically in the recent times. The secondary and college education has been offering the girls the skills and knowledge to increase labor force.

The challenge to this strategy has been that even though more girls are getting enrolment, sometimes they learn very little to allow then to prepare to compete and survive 21^st century job market. Access has increased significantly but the quality is a challenge.

The Arab Human Development report shows that the ability of access to education has not been able to offer the required credential for the women to get into employment and compete favorably in Arab societies.

Power structures and Gender-based violence

In order to act on the goals an individual sets, she must be aware on the implications of the power system on these goals. There are norms, legal frameworks and other discriminatory forces in the community (Naples 98). Gaining awareness of all these is hence very important. Women in Asia have been subordinate to different power structures for so long.

These structures include social class, gender, ethnicity and even place of residence (Naples 98). Unless women get awareness rising, they will continue to suffer under these gendered factors. Without awareness of these structures, women cannot act; therefore there will be no change.

Because of the power structures that are oppressive, women have suffered domestic violence as victims of sexual, physical and psychological abuse. These harmful practices are mostly gender biased since Asian culture has rated men as superior gender (Naples 98). Human rights in the past have not been discussed openly and strongly (Letherby 123).

As much as gender awareness is an individual thing, empowerment comes to a group and societal level. Women can come together and motivate each other for action (Letherby 123), For instance, the fight against violence campaigns done by women groups.

Rising above the gendered power structures is what give the women power to stand up for their rights and human begins since basic rights like right to respect and dignity are inalienable (Naples 98). Empowering efforts would entail provision of medical care for victims of gender or sexual violence, psychological (counselling) services and legal action for the perpetrators.

Self Esteem and Economic Development

Living in a community where women are subordinates and subject to different types of oppression habitually causes naturalization of the predominant power relations. These often happen to a greater level that those oppressed begin to consider their powerlessness as natural cause or a justified phenomenon (Naples 99). It may lead to self oppression in which feminist theorists refer to the phenomenon as internalized oppression.

The concept of building women self-esteem is that they must not feel that they are destined to be under men as a matter of fate rather to make them feel worthy, valuable and deserving of better regard in the society. This way, they can stand up for themselves and build better future based on their ambitious goals that come with high self esteem (Letherby 123).

At a communal level, self-esteem develops into the feeling of the ‘right to exist’ and be successful in life competing equally against men. With shared goals and options, women can have a sense of belonging and therefore rise above the gendered power structure.

Education is one way of attaining the self-esteem but in this case, setting up income generating activities for women would give them power and confidence faster (Ramazanoğlu 137). Women will be more confident and will have resources to help them fight oppression and take charge of their lives.

Conclusion

There are several ways that the issues of feminist research methods and empowerment of women can be addressed to attain better understanding of these issues. Feminist see it as a problem when women are ‘left out’ out of positions of power, history and even the daily events and communications. They tend to ask questions regarding circumstances that lead to women being ‘left out’.

The problem comes when there is general assumption that it was deliberate and the root cause was men’s fear and contempt of women. To have a solution to such concerns, feminist research methods were devised to make demands against the inevitable resistance from men.

These researches are perceived to be targeting to change social institutions and scientific knowledge. To get to the power needed to stand up against men, women have been striving to get permanent solutions like getting their own homes, increasing education and income, seeking for equal pay and insisting on equality in all aspects of life.

Works Cited

Bryson, Valerie. Feminist Political Theory: An Introduction. Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan. 2003

Kumar, Ranjit. Research Methodology: A Step-By-Step Guide for Beginners, Sage, p. 110

Lather, Patti. ‘Feminist Perspectives on Empowering Research Methodologies,’ Women’s Studies International Forum, 2002, Vol. 11, Issue 6, pp. 569-82

Letherby, Gayle. Feminist Research in Theory and Practice, Buckingham: UK, Open University Press. 2003.

Monkman, Karen and Stacki, Sandra. ‘Change Through Empowerment Processes: Women’s stories from South Asia and Latin America,’ Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 2003, Vol. 33, Issue 2, pp. 173-189

Naples, Nancy. Feminism and Method: Ethnography, Discourse Analysis, and Activist Research, New York: Routledge. 2003

Oakley, Ann., Experiments in Knowing: Gender and Method in the Social Sciences. Cambridge: Polity, 2000

Parvin, Gulsan., Ahsan, Reazaul., and Chowdhury, Mahmudur., ‘Women Empowerment Performance Of Income Generating Activities Supported By Rural Women Empowerment Creation Project (RWECP): A Case Study In Dumuria Thana, Bangladesh,’ The journal of Geo-Environment, 2004, Vol. 4, issue 3, pp. 47-61

Ramazanoğlu, Caroline. Feminist Methodology: Challenges And Choices, Thousand Oaks: CA, Sage Publications. 2002.

The Arab Human Development report, – Challenges to human security in the Arab Countries. Report. UN Development Programme, 2002. Retrieved from www.arab-hdr.org/publications/other/ahdr/ahdr2002e.pdf

UNESCO Regional Office for Science and Technology. Annual Report 2000: UNESCO Annual Report. Cairo, UNESCO Regional Office for Science and Technology, 2000

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