Contesting the gendering of methodology: treating methods as text

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to critique the argument that research methodology is gendered and present a post‐essentialist understanding of research methods.

Design/methodology/approach

A conceptual paper which engages with the feminist debate over the gendering of methodology.

Findings

The paper begins by discussing the feminist critique of positivism that quantitative methodologies embody patriarchal assumptions. Then, drawing on contemporary attempts by feminists to rehabilitate quantitative research, and developments in organizational research methods, it counters the argument that methodologies are gendered. Specifically, it argues the idea that methods embody gendered assumptions is founded on essentialist reasoning and treats them as having immutable characteristics. Moving on, the paper offers a post‐essentialist understanding of “methods as text”. Key advantages of this metaphor are that it acknowledges the interpretative flexibility of research methods and illustrates the rhetorical function descriptions of them perform in particular contexts. Finally, the contributions and limitations of this perspective and its implications for future research are summarised.

Research limitations/implications

Further research is needed to understand how research methods are discursively constructed and the rhetorical functions descriptions of them perform in specific contexts.

Originality/value

The paper critiques the view that research methodology is gendered and offers a novel metaphor for understanding research methods. It is likely to be of most value to social scientists with an interest in research methods and/or feminist epistemologies.

Citation

Shepherd, C. (2008), "Contesting the gendering of methodology: treating methods as text", Gender in Management, Vol. 23 No. 7, pp. 537-543. https://doi.org/10.1108/17542410810908893