Masculinity, Age and Rapport in Qualitative Research

Abstract

Purpose To reflect on the central role of gender and age in qualitative research practice, particularly in regard to how the gender and age of the researcher influence fieldwork interactions.Design/methodology/approach A reflection of three separate qualitative research undertakings, all of which made use of interviews and participant-observation fieldwork.Findings Gender and age intersections of both the researcher and research subjects influence fieldwork interactions both in terms of discursive and embodied interactions. Reflections on past research involve considering the relative changing subject position of the researcher in terms of masculinity, youth and social status. Rapport is established in the field through talk and interaction that can involve the performance of knowledge and gender. The researcher's embodied feeling of 'fitting in' during fieldwork therefor draw on gender, age and ethnicity specific privilege.Originality/value Unlike many acts of researcher reflexivity which reflect on a single research project, this chapter recalls experiences of fieldwork during three separate research undertakings. It adds to debates about methodological issues of doing research into men and masculinities by exploring how such is intersected by the age of both the researcher and researcher participants.Keywords: Age, Embodiment, Knowledge, Masculinity, Rapport, ReflexivitySeveral weeks into what was my first attempt at undertaking qualitative social research, I had a 'breakthrough' moment. It came during an undergraduate project on masculinity and occupational identity in a local fire station and from which my first ever academic publication would emerge (Thurnell-Read and Parker, 2008). Having already made a number of research visits to the local fire station I had begun to get to know my research participants, the 16 male members of Green Watch, who now seemed used to me being around and no longer mistook me for being one of the 'work experience lads' also making occasional appearances in the yard, offices and training rooms of the station. Worryingly, however, I felt I had yet to achieve the 'rapport' with my participants that our course text books had told us was so important 3 in a study of this kind (Hammersley and Atkinson, 2007). I still felt nervous that my presence in this place of work normally out of bounds to the public would be interpreted as intrusive. Then I missed a scheduled 'fieldwork' visit in favour of a drinking session at a house party thrown by some fellow students. On returning to the station the following week it was to my surprise that members of Green Watch had noted my absence and, once I sheepishly admitted the reason for my nonappearance, expressed both praise ('good lad') and jealousy ('lucky sod, wish I was young, free and single again'). From that point on, I noted the more relaxed way in which participants conversed with me.While my main concern at the time was making a success of the research project in order to gain a good grade in the final project write up due that...

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