Making Connections: Speed Dating, Masculinity and Interviewing

‘Leaving masculinity at the car door’: Dogging, de-subjectification and the pursuit of pleasure

“…It appeared that the face-to-face interviews were more than a simple retelling of sexual stories. In previous research on speed dating, it was highlighted that the interview itself can recreate a ‘dating scenario’, where masculinities become entwined in the research process (Mac an Ghaill et al., 2013). It could be argued that interviews have the potential to reproduce gendered inequalities, as men forge trust through misogyny and homophobia (Schwalbe and Wolkomir, 2001).…”

When Women Study Men: Gendered Implications for Qualitative Research

“…Women's movements into public spaces, including traveling alone at night or in poorly lit/unfamiliar areas, are therefore assumed to put women at greater risk of harm (Day, 2006;Pain, 1997). Some of these concerns are echoed in ethics protocols, well-meaning advice between colleagues, and published papers that caution women against meeting participants in private (e.g., the home or a hotel room), entering neighborhoods or areas known to have higher rates of "deviant activity" (e.g., drug use, crime), or taking on more vulnerable travel arrangements (e.g., traveling at night or to unfamiliar places; Cassell, 2005;Huggins & Glebbeck, 2009;Lee, 1997;Mac an Ghaill, Haywood, & Bright, 2013;Paterson, Gregory, & Thorne, 1999). Before unpacking these concerns in more depth, I want to be clear.…”

“…For men who lack confidants beyond their romantic partners, sharing personal reflections in a professional setting may be anxiety provoking (Mac an Ghaill et al, 2013). Likening the interview to a romantic context by flirting with the researcher may demonstrate men's own vulnerability and need to share personal reflections in a more familiar way (Mac an Ghaill et al, 2013).…”

“…Intentionally selecting spaces that are not associated with some participants' identities can perpetuate the problematic ways in which racialized men and masculine identities are constructed in relation to notions of deviance or danger (Fine, 2013;Twitchell, 2006). The lack of attention paid to men's gendered and racialized experiences of harm in academic research perpetuates the erasure of historical and ongoing research-based trauma that disproportionately affects men of color, Indigenous men, queer men, men with disabilities, and men with mental health issues or cognitive impairments (Gatrell, 2006;Mac an Ghaill et al, 2013). University settings may offer the guise of safety or neutrality while maintaining long-standing inequities (Henry et al, 2017).…”

“…Gender performance can be an important interview strategy for researchers. Leaning into dominant feminine norms (e.g., nurturance, patience, compassion, passivity, heterosexuality) may grant some men permission to participate in traditionally feminized activities like talking or expressing emotions (Mac an Ghaill et al, 2013;Schwalbe & Wolkomir, 2003;Williams & Heikes, 1993). As a researcher, being perceived as nonthreatening or even incompetent can also help participants to feel less guarded (Cassell, 2005;Gurney, 1985;Horn, 1997).…”