Doing of gender and scientific knowledge production

In: Equality, diversity and inclusion: an international journal, Band 32, Heft 2, S. 217-222

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to enable the author to discuss some personal experiences from research and teaching that relate to the special circumstances of doing gender research.Design/methodology/approachWhen reading about Styhre's and Tienari's experiences, the author is not so surprised by but rather concerned about the resemblance and reflections evoked by the text vis‐à‐vis her own experiences of doing research in the gender field. During recent decades, she had the opportunity to explore various organizing issues in her research, from technology and organizational change to gender and intersectionality. This provided her with both an inside and outside perspective on some of the specificities which recur in the field of gender studies.FindingsDoing gender research enables men and women to "become with" women, men and other people. When able to respond to other people with respect, the researcher can "become with" the studied one. By going into the experiences previously shared by other scholars doing gender studies, and by reflecting upon these, the opportunities for men and women to "become with" will most likely increase.Originality/valueIn a performative way, "doing gender" includes a way of recognizing the context in which the author is situated. When this position is challenged, things start to happen. Whether one is being challenged as a woman, as a man, as a researcher, or for not understanding gender in the proper feminist way, the conditions of one's comprehension of doing gender are called into question. Reflexivity is thus – as Styhre and Tienari claim – a product of social encounters.