WRITING A RESEARCH PAPER FOR A FEMINIST RESEARCH STUDY

Tips for Beginners

Writing is all about clarity, organization, and style. This article is dedicated to the process of writing research papers for qualitative feminist studies which provides useful information particularly for those who are beginners at the task. However, this article also provides useful information for those using quantitative methods. In order to understand the issues surrounding the task of writing a research paper for a feminist research study, we first need to discuss two other related issues: feminist research itself and academic writing.

Feminist Research and Academic Writing

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Feminist scholars have long been critical of mainstream modes of knowledge production and how knowledge is expressed in conventional academic writing. Feminist investigations are conducted based on feminist theory and perspective which oppose male-centeredness in the development of frameworks as well as the use of positivistic approaches that view knowledge as neutral and objective. Feminism does not see the truth as being only one truth, but it acknowledges many truths. Knowledge is not seen as being universal, but instead situated and partial. Following feminist theory, the nature of feminist research is: transdisciplinary, combining theories and methods from across various fields; self-reflective, always conscious of the writer’s identity and interweaves the writer’s experiences in the process of gaining knowledge; empowering, empowers the researcher/researched/readers; and transformative, its aim is social change.

Consequently, the current dominant form of academic writing which is largely influenced by privileged, white, straight male in the academy is seen by feminists as silencing the production of feminist knowledge and as being unsuitable for feminist studies.

While maintaining this critical view, feminist scholarship in general has kept its writing style well suited to the conventions of current academic writing. However, the praxis of feminist research methods has added new tools in their investigations to allow for subjectivity and inclusiveness. In line with this, feminist scholarship has set innovative examples which provide for flexibility, while maintaining “validity”, in academic writing. Nevertheless, there are feminist writers who have abandoned most of what they view as patriarchal norms in academic writing.

As this article is targeted at readers new to the topic of feminist research and academic writing and who may be writing papers for course assignments, the organization of thoughts proposed here are still in line with conventional academic writing, however it shall draw on specific feminist qualities.

How to Write your Paper

The following are tips to give you more insight on writing a research paper for a feminist research study.

1.    Begin with a concise introduction and clear problem statement. Like any other paper, you have to be clear about the issue you are raising. Your introduction should address what you are examining and the scope of the problem. Your introduction should also set the context. Is the particular issue you are raising a new issue (e.g., about a new economic policy, a new housing policy) or is it an issue that has been raised over the years and continues to be relevant (e.g., about unpaid care work, child care, violence against women)? Or are you focusing on a specific period (e.g., the gender ideology of a past government regime, the child care policy of a given government administration)? Does the issue extend to a more specific context (e.g., the urban areas of a particular country) or is your research wider in scope, such as a country case study or a regional study (e.g., Asian)?

Feminism recognizes women’s diversity and that identity is multifacet. Therefore, it recognizes that different women may be impacted in different ways by a similar situation. Be clear from the start about the women that your research is representing and whose voice is being heard. Acknowledge elements such as class, location, marital status, parental status, ethnic and religious background, education, disabilities, sexual orientation, age, etc.

2.    Affirm the relevance and importance of your issue in the introduction. Demonstrate the relevance of your issue with current developments within your field of study and within feminist discourse, and if relevant, with the emerging issues of the day. Issues concerning women and gender are generally treated as issues that are not as important as current political or economic issues, so it would be good if you can relate your issue with current developments and affirm its importance. Remember that your description of the issue you are raising is shaped by feminist theory. Explain why the issue needs to be looked at from a feminist or gender perspective.

3.    Write up a concise literature review. The issue you are raising may have been raised before but from a different perspective. Point out where the previous perspective is lacking. Explain why existing data or evidence may lack “accuracy” because of androcentrism or because it has excluded women's experience altogether and thus why a different approach is needed. Your inquiry may have also been examined in other studies using different feminist approaches. Explain how your research problem is connected to other previous works. Explain the value added in your work. Discuss all this in a concise literature review to demonstrate the depth of the problem and the body of work related to your issue. If lengthy, you might need to put your literature review in a separate section from the introduction.

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4.    Elaborate your theoretical framework. If you're using a particular feminist theory or if your approach to the matter is influenced by a particular school of feminist thought, state clearly. If your research combines theories from different disciplines, explain clearly how you have connected these theories. Point out how feminist theory approaches truth and objectivity. State how your theoretical framework contributes to feminist theory as well as mainstream theoretical frameworks. Provide clear examples when explaining theoretical concepts or technical terms. Concepts such as patriarchy, phallogocentrism, matriarchy, and gender although widely used, have been used in a too general sense or even have taken a different meaning, so you might find it necessary to define them to avoid any misinterpretations. Although usually avoided in conventional academic writing, in your explanation of theory, I would say it is okay to use feminist jargons (e. g., the personal is political) but to the extent that it is required and useful and can explain as well as support your framework.

5.    Describe your methodology. Describe your approach to data and method of organizing data/findings. Elaborate the methods you have combined (if so) to obtain information. Explain why you chose this method(s) as well as cite where the method(s) has been used before (if so) in previous feminist investigations. Explain if you used specific participatory methods, interview techniques, or group discussions to gain information from women and/or men. In this section, you should also explain how the feminist theoretical framework you used is reflected in the way you approach knowledge and gather facts (e.g., your approach acknowledges that subjective experience shape knowledge). Finally, point out how your approach contributes to feminist and mainstream methodologies.

6.   Provide a good discussion of your findings. In your results and discussion section, remember that how you analyze your findings is guided by the feminist theory you incorporate. Maintain this connection throughout your discussion.  Always keep in mind that women are not homogenous, so do not generalize your findings and avoid universalizing facts which you have collected. Discuss how the issue affects the women in your study and how does it affect these women differently than men. Discuss how your method (e.g., sharing of experience among the women or with the women in your study, or how your participatory method—if you used one) led to these findings. As feminism is all about change, relate your findings with a course of action to promote change which you will develop later in the concluding section. Note that you might find it useful to have a separate results section from the discussion section.

7.    Wrap up with a good conclusion. Don’t just summarize your findings in the conclusion section, but convince readers why the problem matters. Point out the broader implications of your findings (political, economic, legal, policy, etc.) and, just as important, what we have learned from your study. Again, indicate how your study contributes to the development of theory or methodology. Finally, propose a course of action, a solution to the issue, or questions for further study. Note that some feminist studies involve or consult with the people in the study during the process of constructing the conclusions and formulating actions to be taken.

8.   Provide correct referencing and citations. To comply with the academic rule of the game, choose a referencing style and use it consistently throughout the paper whenever you are citing or borrowing other people’s ideas and end the paper with a list of the references you used to support your research. In the academic world, good referencing reflects the author’s credibility and professionalism.

9.   Regarding style. Feminist writing styles are known to have subjective experience and feelings interwoven throughout the text—narrating different truths and presenting conversations among various voices. Gender neutral language is used throughout the paper, including using ‘she’ in place of ‘he’ or applying ‘she or he’ and so forth (styles which have also been adopted by some authors, who do not particularly identify themselves with feminism, to avoid bias). Feminist writings also use language that demonstrates resistance to the dominant ideology by coining new terms such as herstory and womyn.

To Sum Up

Feminist research and feminist academic writing are forms of activism, as they challenge dominant conventions about neutrality, objectivity, validity, and the politics of knowing. They provide us with tools to bring forward marginalized voices and to prevent the repression of feminist ideas in the process of producing knowledge.

List of Readings

Coan, Casely Emma (2012) It Feels (W)Ri(Gh)T(E) to Me: Feminist Identity and Academic Writing. A thesis submitted to the Graduate School-New Brunswick Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey [online] https://rucore.libraries.rutgers.edu/rutgers-lib/37379/.

Haraway, Donna (1988) Situated Knowledges: The Science Question in Feminism and the Privilege of Partial Perspective. Feminist Studies Vol. 14, No. 3. pp. 575-599 [online] http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0046-3663%28198823%2914%3A3%3C575%3ASKTSQI%3E2.0.CO%3B2-M.

Sarikakis, Katharine, Ramona R. Rush, Autumn Grubb-Swetnam, and Christina Lane (2009) Feminist Theory and Research. In Stacks. Don W. and Salwen, M. B. (eds.). An Integrated Approach to Communication Theory and Measurement. New York: Taylor & Frances [online] http://homepage.univie.ac.at/katharine.sarikakis/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Feminist-Theory-and-Research1.pdf.