4. Data collection
Too often, data collection is directed at the household head who is often a man. As was stated in the case studies previously, this person might not be the person responsible for performing the activities associated with your research topic. This is why surveys and interviews should capture a cross section of people in the village that participate in the activities relevant to your research topic. This means talking to men, women, youth or the elderly. It is also a good idea to talk to rich and poor households because they will face different problems undertaking the agricultural practices you are researching.
If you are working in a team, it is also a good idea to have male and female researchers on the team because women sometimes prefer to speak to other women. It is also important to think of reasons that might inhibit women’s ability to participate in research. These may include the time of day or season, if women are busy doing various chores such as grazing livestock or harvesting crops. It is also a good idea to give women the opportunity to choose the place of the research. Of course, always read out a plain language statement that describes what the research is for and what the women have to do and gain consent for the research with a consent form.
5. Data analysis
Having collected gender disaggregated data that reflects the gender sensitive indicators, it is time to analyse the data. If you were using the framework above, you would look for differences between men’s and women’s access to the resources they need to perform the activities you are researching and why this is. You will also want to understand if the men and women involved in the activities, have the ability to make decisions over those resources when required. You may also want to know if men and women can achieve success in the given activity you are researching and why or why not that might be.
Data analysis is a complicated topic that should be discussed specifically for each research topic. For this reason, I will not go into any detail here.
6. Research reporting
Writing up the results of your research is an important step in the research process. It is your opportunity to share your findings and discuss recommendations or conclusions with your audience. Make sure you present balanced results and that gender sensitive language is used. It is also an opportunity to return to your research sites and disseminate results to your participants: this includes women, men, young and old, rich and poor households.
Activity 1
Download the document below and fill in the table. The table lists the stages in the research process (as demonstrated above). Against each stage, think of a relevant gender issue and write down how you will address this issue in the boxes provided. This activity can be done in groups of two or three people.
Activity 2
Download the document and write your research topic/questions at the top. Use the criteria provided: resources, agency and values/meanings, to draw a mind map of the possible issues you might encounter. Write your ideas on the paper and link them with a line to the criteria they refer to. This activity can be done individually or in small groups of two or three people.