Where we are now: the role and future of feminist research

Volume 10 Number 3 March 10 - April 13 2014

 

Laura Soderlind surveys the feminist research and theory landscape.

Scholarly research, like many things, comes inbuilt with certain assumptions, biases and omissions. 

Take history and historical research. Yawning over centuries and straddling continents, so often the history recorded, studied and researched is a history of the accomplishments, milestones and experiences of men. 

It is the history of royal bloodlines, religions, battlefields, explorers and scientists. Women have often been reduced to the footnoted wife or mother of a notable historical figure. 

However, this account of history often poses as neutral, and just the way things happened. 

Feminist academic and researcher Professor Sheila Jeffreys says much research in the social sciences does not notice or mention women.

“There is a patriarchal bias in almost all the research carried out in universities,” she says.

Feminist historians have set about excavating women’s experiences and writing them into the discipline that for so long was pockmarked by silences and omissions. 

“History is written by the victors,” Prime Minister Churchill observed. And according to a feminist analysis, men were the victors in patriarchal society.

In parallel terms, Virginia Woolf the celebrated early feminist writer observed that, “for most of history, Anonymous was a woman.” 

The history of history has biases that run along fault lines of race, colonisation, class and gender. Though there is still a mainstream vision of history, it is increasingly informed by the research and insights of those confronting the mainstream vision: from feminists, Marxists and civil rights movements to post-colonial theorists.

These biases span other disciplines too. Fewer books by women are studied or critically appraised by researchers. The standard physiology that underscores textbook medical research was based on a 70kg male. This remained until the 1980s.

It is the job of feminist researchers and academics to challenge and critique where research and scholarship has omitted to consider women’s perspectives or achievements. 

This is a mammoth task arching back into history and spiraling into the future. It is inbuilt with many of its own challenges. 

Professor Jeffreys explains, “there are challenges in getting funding for research since research on women is never a priority.”

She says feminist research is also less likely to be favourably reviewed. 

Publication opportunities may also be limited.

Feminist research is not only an exercise in looking at the gaps and holes where women’s perspectives were ignored: it is also profoundly driven by the contemporary issues facing women.

“Research is needed on the sexual harassment directed at women in politics,” Professor Jeffreys says.

“It is needed to look at clothing requirements of women in politics and public life,” she suggests.

 “Gillard’s shoes come to mind. What this does to how these women feel about themselves and the respect given to them by others.”

In an environment where research funding is increasingly scarce, Professor Jeffreys is concerned about what this means for future feminist research. 

“New generations of feminist researchers will find it increasingly difficult to be radical in their subject matter or approach,” she says.

Feminist research, in essence, scrutinises the mainstream and the unspoken or spoken assumptions about women. This means challenging the sexist behaviour and opinions of people and society.

Most feminists find this is infrequently welcome by those being criticised. Professor Jeffreys considers this is the same in the academic marketplace for ideas, research and opinions.

This may mean feminist research will become more confined to socially palatable, more ‘white collar feminist’ areas, like policies around maternity leave and women on boards. These are important areas for feminist research, however Professor Jeffreys is concerned that other more controversial areas may be left unresearched. 

Areas like prostitution and pornography and their relationship with sexual violence may not receive the attention needed from feminist researchers. 

One of the other challenges facing feminist research is it often fails to receive the same legitimacy and high regard as research in other areas.

For instance, almost all people have a position on pornography, from feminists, politicians and religious groups to pornography consumers. Everyone is a stakeholder in these matters because everyone has an opinion and bedroom.

However when feminists research these matters, using rigorous academic methodologies, it is frequently dismissed when it comes up against a decidedly firm opinion.

Researching for findings, data and “facts” among this landscape of opinion among the quiet tides of patriarchy is another challenge faced by feminist researchers.

So how can feminists research these issues and present their findings in a way that will be received similarly to those of medical or scientific researchers? 

How can feminist research into acutely contested issues gain the social acceptance needed for it to inform the creation of policy and public discussions? 

How can feminist researchers continue to push frontiers when funding is difficult to come by?

More research is needed to find out.

Laura Soderlind is a PhD candidate researching parallels between literature and pornography. She also works for University Communications.

 

http://ssps.unimelb.edu.au/