5.1　Feminist methodology

5.1　Feminist methodology

Feminist research has had a significant impact in social science in the last three decades.It has utilised or given rise to many key methodological ideas such as standpoint,positionality and reflexivity,and critical enquiries into gender,gender relations and society (Burns &Walker,2005;Skinner et al.,2005).

As explained in Chapter 1,defining something means recognising its essential nature (Pryke and Thomas 1998).Definitions,in fact,may shape our behaviour in relation to an issue or problem and predispose us to think about the issue in a particular way.To name something is the first and important step in the spiral process of awareness,which guides us in our research.Thus,this section will firstly examine how some of academics define 'feminist methodology'.

Harding (1987) emphasises that:

[Feminist] methodology is discussion of how phenomenological approaches can be used to begin to understand women's worlds.

(Harding,1987:3)

Ramazanoğlu et al.(2002) point out that:

[Feminist] methodology is one set of approaches to the problems of producing justifi able knowledge of gender relations.It always entails some theory of power,since the power to produce authoritative knowledge is not equally open to all.

(Ramazanoğlu et al.,2002:10 &13)

Cook and Fonow (1990) illustrate that:

[Feminist] methodology in sociology involves attending to the linkage between how it is done and how it is analysed,rather than focusing only one or the other.

(Cook and Fonow,1990:71)

Harding's (1987) definition directly emphasises feminist methodology focusing on understanding women's world.But Ramazanoğlu et al.'s (2002) definition in particular reveals the core of feminist theory:the investigation of whether there is equality of gender and power between people,especially between women and men.Feminists question who has the power to know what,and how power is implicated in society.As discussed in Chapter 3,in reality gender inequality occurs between women and men.Men are socially dominant.

Cook and Fonow's (1990) definition interprets feminist methodology by focusing on the practice.Their definition emphasises how researchers will get the sources,namely collection of data,and how they analyse them.Through both,researchers will find the problems and try to settle them.

From looking at these definitions,we can see that feminist methodology is both dynamic and cumulative.It focuses on the real world,in particular on women's worlds or women's gendered position in the world.Such methodology generates information,which can be used not only by feminists themselves but also by others to make a difference.Importantly,feminist methodology as praxis is not only based on the simple fact of women sharing a gender in common but also on a common agenda:women's unequal position in the family and in society.From these definitions,we can see that such methodology cannot be separated from the context of people and society.Therefore,such a methodology could reflect a complete change in our perception of the world.For example,feminist methodology allowed me to think about domestic violence in a particular way in terms of gender inequality between wives and husbands.

Feminist methodology centres on gender and gender inequality,and particularly on the understanding of women's worlds (Harding,1987;Skinner et al.,2005) and research on and into women's lives (and men's too) (Letherby,2003;Maynard &Purvis,1994).It is grounded in both political and academic concerns (Letherby,2003).Such research begins from the premise that the nature of reality in society is unequal and hierarchical (Skeggs,1994).For example,in feminist work on violence against women,an understanding of the 'personal as political' has been central(Hester et al.,1996) Feminists theorise and analyse the violence occurring in the home or within the family because of gender,power and control,and inequalities between women and men.

Since the 1970s,feminist or pro-feminist academics such as Dobash and Dobash(1980),Gittins (1985),Kelly (1988),Millett (1972) and Walby (1990) have all used feminist theory to analyse domestic violence.They point out that the system of patriarchy leads to men controlling and having power over women both in the home and in society.Violent behaviour used by men against women reflects the power of fathers and father figures:a familial-social,ideological,and political system (Hanmer et al.,2000;Kelly,1988).In China,patriarchy or male power is central to family,as expressed in Confucian ideas (see Part I).Domestic violence against women provides evidence of women's oppression in the home.Feminist methodology is highly suitable to explore domestic violence between couples.It makes researchers aware of the relationships of power,of who gets what and why(Pugh,1990) and helps their understanding of why inequality exists between women and men (Letherby,2003).

Feminist methodology places great emphasis on practical research often based on an awareness of the importance of women's experience (Kelly et al.,1996).As Kelly (1988) emphasises,women's experience is fundamental to feminist research.Feminists study social processes through women's experiences in a specific context,for example,domestic violence.

Feminist methodology focuses on where ideas come from,how people make sense of the experiences,whether social reality can be connected to ideas and experiences,and what evidence exists in society.As Mills (1959) argues,the social scientist is not an autonomous being standing outside society.Feminists believe that all research is ideological because no one can separate themselves from the world in which they live and which forms their values and opinions,from books they read,from the people they have spoken to,and so on (Letherby,2003).

With regard to my research aim,exploring psychological violence as a type of domestic violence within the Chinese context,I recognise that there will be differences in research between the UK and China.For example,as Mullender(1996) suggests,the term 'domestic violence' is in common everyday and professional use in the UK.British academics and practitioners use the term'domestic violence' to include different types,e.g.physical and psychological violence.However,Chinese academics separate psychological violence from domestic violence.This,together with the critical differences,may be reflected in the study history of domestic violence in both countries.