Our readings this past few weeks discussed how a researcher's identity can affect not only how we research but how we interpret our research findings. This isn't something that I've given much thought to in the past.
For instance, I've never given much thought to gender in my workplace or school. I went to an all girl high school. I got a bachelor's degree in child development (a mostly female profession). I am now pursuing my master's degree in library and information science (another mostly female profession). And I grew up in a large family were the girls out number the boys.
It has never occurred to me that my gender would affect my research. But to be honest, looking back it probably has on some level or another even if I'm not fully aware of it. It probably affected how different gendered children interacted with me (as most of my previous research experiences has been with children). Whether younger children looked at me as a mother-figure or sister-figure, whether teenage boys saw me as a non-family female, or whether I myself was viewing and acting in ways that are typically associated with female gender.
Gender is only one of the many puzzle pieces that make me me. But it is one of the easier pieces that strangers can see and respond to depending on their own identities. It is also something that I don't think that I can take out of my research equation. It affects who I am. It affects how others respond to me. I can minimize it or I can work with it, but I can't really dismiss it. Even if I was to conduct all of my research in a non-personal way - no interviewing, no in person surveys, all data collected online without any gender clues - I would still interpret the data I collected based on my own identity and experience.
My thoughts on how to overcome this? Two researchers are better then one. My future research and program planning would likely benefit from having a male perspective. Four researchers would probably be even better - but then the more people deciding things the more difficult it can be to get things done. Definitely things I need to keep in mind for the future.
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