From ‘difference’ to complexity in men and masculinity studies: exploring research methods

When Women Study Men: Gendered Implications for Qualitative Research

“…Gendered power dynamics in interviews may also be negotiated through less explicit interactions. Participants who act in a compassionate, overly sensitive, and paternalistic manner reinforce some societal norms for women to be delicate and for men to be experts and fatherly (Arendell, 1997;Coates, 2003;Hoel, 2015;Horn, 1997;Lee, 1997;Pini, 2005;Sallee & Harris, 2011). As a researcher and student in my 20s, many participants in my studies (to date) have been older men.…”

“…As discussed previously, men's gendered expressions can be nuanced, fragmented, conflicting, incoherent, and fluid as men confront, challenge, align with, or reimagine masculinities (Affleck, Glass, & Macdonald, 2012;Gill, 2005;Hoel, 2015;Mac an Ghaill et al, 2013;Pease, 2010;Speer, 2001;Wong & Rochlen, 2004). To promote clarity, researchers may conflate multifaceted reflections from interviews into preexisting categories that are recognizable and align with existing scholarship and methodological conventions for reporting on sex and gender (Hoel, 2015;Mac an Ghaill et al, 2013;Pease, 2010;Speer, 2001;Westbrook & Saperstein, 2015). Yet, relying on mainstream gender norms to synthesize and analyze data may diminish the complexity of participants' experiences, limit the significance of findings, and stifle progress in the field of masculinities research (Mac an Ghaill et al, 2013).…”

“…Enduring sexualized and sexist interactions, in spite of personal discomfort, could be an intentional strategy for some researchers to maintain rapport with participants, solicit deeper reflections, and yield rich data (Cameron, 1997;Gurney, 1985;Hoel, 2015;Horn, 1997;Lee, 1997;Mac an Ghaill et al, 2013;Sallee & Harris, 2011;Schwalbe & Wolkomir, 2003). Should participants use provocative responses to test researchers, endurance may become a necessary tactic to "pass" the test, complete the interview, and recruit other participants within the same social circle (Gurney, 1985;Horn, 1997).…”

“…Humiliating and demeaning occurrences may be difficult for interviewers to articulate or confront because they are normalized as harmless, and women are expected to sluff them off (Martin, 2001). Some interviewers interpret sexualized or discriminatory behaviors as an explicit lack of respect and respond by interrupting and assertively ending unwanted behaviors to reestablish clear boundaries (Hoel, 2015;Lee, 1997;Sallee & Harris, 2011). These dynamics can make it seem as though participants are in positions of power relative to researchers.…”

Cross-language qualitative research studies dilemmas: a research review

“…Archer (2002) and Fine (2004) believed that participants provided more honest or accurate responses to researchers of a similar social position, therefore advocating the racial and ethnic matching between researcher and participants. Hence, it is of upmost importance for a qualitative study that involves all three elements to consider socio-cultural matching in terms of gender, race or ethnic to build better rapport, solicit deeper reflections and yield rich data (Hoel, 2015).…”