Interviewing Women: Is it still a “Contradiction in term”?

Faria RashidEDRD6000: Qualitative Analysis

University of Guelph

Overview of the Presentation

Why interviewing women: a contradiction in terms. What is mean by contradiction? Traditional criteria for interviewing. Practical experience: when a feminist interviews

women. What are the best practices recommended for

interviewing women?

Why interviewing women: a contradiction in terms.

Ann Oakley

Ann Oakley, is a distinguished British sociologist,

feminist, and writer. She is Professor and Founder-Director of the Social Science Research Unit at the Institute of Education, University of London.

She is best known for her work on sex and gender and feminist social science.

This presentation is based on Ann Oakley's seminal paper. “Why interviewing women: a contradiction in terms.” from the book Doing Feminist Research(1981).

What is mean by contradiction?

Gap between textbook methods and practical experience for interviewing women.

Oakley describe “Before I became an interviewer I hard read what the textbook said about interviewing, however I found it very difficult to follow this in practice.”

She suggests that each of this paradigms of traditional interviewing practice creates problems for feminist interviews.

Sociologist are not looking at social interaction from the viewpoint of the women.

.

Traditional criteria for interviewing

Interviewing situation is a one way process. Interviewer collect and receives information, but does

not give information to them. Interviewers to adopt an attitude towards

interviewees . The job for interviewer should be collect information

fairly not making friendship with the interviewee

Traditional criteria for interviewing

Never provide the interviewee with any formal indication of the interviewers beliefs and values.

Interviews are seen as having no personal meaning in terms of social interaction.

Interviewer-interviewee relationship: feelings and emotion does not exist.

Practical experience: when a feminist interviews women

Interviewer-interviewee relationship

Sometimes the interviewer-interviewee relationship exited beyond the limit.

Hospitality offered by interviewees to interviewers

Interviewing situation can not be one way process.

Attempts by interviewees to use interviewers as source of information.

.

Practical experience: when a feminist interviews women

Oakley's experience in the childbirth project, she found that:

The interviewee did not only offer the minimum hospitality of accommodating her in their homes for the duration of the interviews, 92% interviewee was offered tea,coffee or some other drinks.

14% also offered meal

Practical experience: when a feminist interviews women

Oakley found main 2 difficulties (Transition of motherhood project)

1. Asking question back (interviewee asked many question)

Information requests Personal questions Question about the research Advise Questions

2. Interviewees request for information

What are the best practices recommended for interviewing women?

Make a good relation with the

interviewee.

Be friendly but not too

friendly. When the interviewee asks for the

opinion of the interviewers, then try

to answer :

I guess I haven't thought enough about it to give a good answer right now or

Well, right now your opinions are more important then mine.

.

What are the best practices recommended for interviewing women?

Interviewers feelings about interviewees

In order to be successful interview it must have all the warmth and personality exchange of a conversation.

If the interviewee doesn't believe he/she is being kindly and sympathetically treated by the interviewer, then he/she will not participate properly.

women should be able to feel comfortable enough to tell their own story.

References

Becker,H.S. and Geen.B.(1957), participant observation and interviewing: a comparison? Human observation, vol.XVI,pp.28-32

Bernard,J(1975),women,wives,mother,Aldine,Chicago

Fransella, F and Frost K (1977) on being a women, Tavistock,London.

Khn,R.L.and Cannell,L.F.(1957), The Dynamics of Interviewing,John Wiley,New York.

Moser,C.A.(1958), Survey Methods in Social Investigation, Heinemann London

Oakley,A (1972), Sex, Gender and Society, Maurice Temple Smith, London

Oakley.A(1974), The Sociology of Housework,Martin Robertson,London.

Richardson,S.A.et al.(1965),Intrviewing:its Forms and Functions,Basic Books New York.

Smith, D.E.(1979), A Sociology for women in J.A. Sherman and E.T.

Stanley,L. And Wise,S.(1979), Lobor,Life and Proverty,Gollancz,London

Thank you