3. Research methods and design of data collection tools
Choosing research methods and designing data collection materials is a very important part of the research design process. In addition to quantitative surveys, it is a good idea to incorporate some qualitative methods such as interviews, focus groups or participant observation into data collection. This will give you the opportunity to gather more detail of the events that surround your topic to explain your findings.
For example, if your survey results reveal that there are decreases in animal weight and herd size in the dry season, focus groups with farmers will help uncover the specific reasons behind this. During focus groups you may find that the dry conditions are not only leading to less vegetation, but poor water quality and quantity which is leading to animal illness and death. Women in the focus groups further commented that during the dry season the surface water is very low and even dries up completely. They are responsible for collecting water from wells for the animals which is a significant burden. Some days they are unable to collect water for all domestic needs as well as animals.
Once the research methods have been chosen, data collection materials need to be designed. Regardless of whether you are doing a survey or interviews, it is a good idea to use some gender sensitive indicators to design your data collection tools. There are a number of gender frameworks in the literature that are applied by various development organisations, NGOs and researchers. Choosing one can be difficult so get some advice from an expert.
A commonly used framework and the one I am using in the ACIAR livestock projects is that by Naila Kabeer. Her framework is a simple equation: resources + agency = Achievements.
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Resources can be material (physical assets, natural resources, money), social (networks) and human (knowledge and skills)
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Agency is the ability to define one's goals and act upon them but is commonly applied as decision making power
Men and women make use of the resources they have available to them to achieve their goals. The resources men and women have access to will be different due to social norms, as will the goals that they aspire to achieve. Goals are motivated by meanings and values which are the product of local culture. Therefore, while agency can be understood as the ability to make decisions, it is also about the ability to define your own goals which are shaped by your values and the ability to act upon them. Therefore, the easiest way to apply Naila Kabeer’s framework when designing your data collection materials is to have three criteria (see left).
Figure 2, right, shows some indicators for each of the three criteria. The indicators are for empowering women in livestock management. If you were doing research into how livestock were being managed, you would ensure that your data collection tools capture gender disaggregated data on indicators like these. These indicators can be included on questionnaires, as well as interview and focus group questions.
