Feminist Research Guidance Note

FEMINIST RESEARCH GUIDANCE NOTE Drawing on Feminist Research in Action for Gender Transformative Change in Development Programming

This Guidance Note was authored collaboratively by Megan Lowthers (Oxfam Canada) and Kate Grantham and Leva Rouhani (FemDev Consulting).

Suggestion citation: Lowthers, M., Grantham, K., and L. Rouhani. 2022. Feminist Research Guidance Note: Drawing on Feminist Research in Action for Gender Transformative Change in Development Programming. Oxfam Canada.

This work was carried out with the aid of a grant from the International Development Research Centre, Ottawa, Canada. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of IDRC or its Board of Governors.

May 2022

For more information, questions, and concerns about this research project please contact: Oxfam Canada Rotbah Nitia Manager, Program Impact Unit rotbah.nitia@oxfam.org

1 OXFAM CANADA FEMINIST RESEARCH GUIDANCE NOTE

INTRODUCTION Feminist research is an important approach to advance gender equality through participatory, learningcentered, action-oriented, and inclusive methods that can transform gender power dynamics within both research design and the communities we work with. The purpose of this guidance note is to provide support for applying feminist approaches to research, and to showcase practical examples from Oxfam Canada of how integrating feminist research can add value to development programming. The characteristics, ethical considerations, The purpose of this methodology, and methods laid out in this guidance note serve as ideals guidance note is to to strive for in implementing feminist research to advance gender equality provide support for and transform gender power dynamics, drawing from quantitative, qualitative, and innovative examples, what we call feminist research applying feminist in action. approaches to

WHAT IS FEMINIST RESEARCH?

research, and to showcase practical examples from Oxfam Canada of how integrating feminist research can add value to development programming.

There is no singular, agreed upon definition of “feminist research” (or “feminism”, for that matter). It can be understood in a variety of ways, but at its core, feminist research is about power: who has it, who does not, how it is exercised, and how it can be shared (including within the research process). In particular, feminist research is concerned with understanding and challenging gender power dynamics. It starts from the standpoints and lived experiences of women, girls, and persons of diverse sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and sex characteristics (SOGIESC), who have historically been marginalized within traditional research processes.1 A focus on the intersectional nature of inequalities and identities is also crucial to capture differences based on income, age, race, ethnicity, location (urban/ rural), indigeneity, citizenship status, disability, and other characteristics, and in order to avoid overgeneralizing or essentializing the experiences of individuals or entire communities.2 Feminist research conducted in developing countries must actively work to dismantle harmful colonial representations that portray women and girls in all their diversity as vulnerable and passive victims in need of saving.3

1 2 3

Kelly, M. (2020). “Putting Feminist Research Into Practice.” In Feminist Research in Practice, edited by M. Kelly and B. Gurr. Rowman & Littlefield. 1-12.

Crenshaw, K. (1991). Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence against Women of Color. Stanford Law Review 43(6): 1241-1299.

Mohanty, C. (2003). Under Western Eyes: Feminist Scholarship and Colonial Discourses.

Feminism Without Borders. Duke University Press. 17-42.

2 OXFAM CANADA FEMINIST RESEARCH GUIDANCE NOTE

Feminist researchers are actively engaged in removing power imbalances, through recognition of their own standpoints and positions of power, and with an iterative and reflexive approach embedded throughout the research process.4 Ideally, participants shift from being research “subjects” to taking leadership and ownership of the research process, and are involved in making decisions at every stage. Achieving this level of inclusion within feminist research necessitates a participatory approach that is locally-led and context-specific, in order to generate an analysis that is rooted in the reality of participants’ daily lives.5 A feminist approach also challenges research to be truly gendertransformative, co-creating knowledge with communities that can be used to tackle the root causes of gender inequality and contribute to sustainable shifts in unequal power relations, structures, norms, attitudes, and behaviours. Oxfam Canada applies a feminist approach to generating and translating knowledge into evidence-based programming, policy, and influencing to advance women’s rights. Given the sensitive contexts in which we work, while the practice is feminist, researchers may refrain from self-identifying as “feminist”.

CHARACTERISTICS OF FEMINIST RESEARCH • Starts from the standpoints and experiences of women, girls, and persons of diverse SOGIESC • Focuses on the intersectional nature of inequalities and identities

A feminist approach also challenges research to be truly gendertransformative, co-creating knowledge with communities that can be used to tackle the root causes of gender inequality and contribute to sustainable shifts in unequal power relations, structures, norms, attitudes, and behaviours.

• Considers the role of power throughout the research process • Prioritizes the safety of participants and considers gendered barriers to their participation • Incorporates research capacity strengthening and promotes leadership and ownership of the research by participants • Adopts a participatory, locally-led, ethical, non-extractive, and context-specific approach • Co-creates knowledge with communities to challenge social inequality • Contributes to gender-transformative change • Supports evidence-based programming, policy, and influencing to advance gender equality

4

5

Harding, S. (2004). The Feminist Standpoint Theory Reader: Intellectual and Political Controversies. Routledge.

Gervais, M., Weber, S. and C. Caron.

(2020). Guide to Participatory Feminist Research. McGill University. https:// www.mcgill.ca/igsf/files/igsf/ gervais_et_al_guide_to_feminist_ participatory_research_2020.pdf

3 OXFAM CANADA FEMINIST RESEARCH GUIDANCE NOTE

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY FEMINIST RESEARCH METHODOLOGY? Oxfam Canada primarily conducts feminist research by, with, and for women and girls. However, not all research that focuses on women, girls, or even gender inequality, is inherently feminist. What makes research feminist or not is the approach that is taken, and the decisions that are made throughout the research process – also called the “research methodology”.

Feminist research methodology is based on a set of principles and practices designed to recognize and address power inequalities throughout the research process, including between and among researchers and participants. These principles and practices inform ways of working that prioritize power, participation, collaboration, contextualization, reflexivity, inclusivity, and responsiveness.

They may differ from one organization or researcher to another.

At Oxfam Canada, we believe transforming gender power relations needs to be reflected in each stage of the research process from conceptualization, to funding, to research design, to data collection and analysis, to knowledge translation and dissemination.6 In this sense, feminist research methodology is holistic in its endeavour. It is not a means to an end, but rather, it focuses on the process of gathering and co-creating knowledge as much as the outcome.

FIGURE 1: IMPLEMENTING FEMINIST RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

SHARED OWNERSHIP

conceptualization

knowledge translation & dissemination

funding

feminist research research design

data analysis

data collection

6

A list of guiding questions for implementing feminist methodology throughout the research process are provided in Appendix A.

Capacity Strengthening

SHARED LEADERSHIP

4 OXFAM CANADA FEMINIST RESEARCH GUIDANCE NOTE

This includes ethical considerations related to voluntary participation, informed consent, confidentiality, privacy, physical safety, and ensuring the benefits of research outweigh the risks for participants.7 This also includes considerations related to the time commitment and direct financial costs required for individuals to participate in the research, and taking steps to ensure that it is convenient for participants, including with respect to the gendered division of labour, paid work, and caregiving responsibilities (e.g. allowing for flexibility when scheduling data collection activities, providing childcare or travel vouchers to enable participation, and compensating participants for their time).

WHAT ARE FEMINIST RESEARCH METHODS? Feminist research employs a wide range of methods, both qualitative and quantitative, for gathering data and evidence, and co-creating knowledge. This can include traditional social science research methods like surveys, interviews, and focus groups, as well as more innovative methods like photovoice, cellphilm, diaries, community theater, autoethnography, and tools that identify and transform social norms.

At their heart, feminist research methods are participatory, learning-centered, action-oriented, and inclusive in their design. They are also non-extractive and facilitate the co-creation of knowledge with participants, allow for reflexivity and intersectional analysis, and support gender-transformative change. These characteristics are key, as feminist methodology recognizes that data collection and analysis itself can either challenge or maintain power relationships. Whether using qualitative or quantitative methods, it is important to keep the characteristics of feminist research in mind and allow the context and participants to dictate what works best.

Feminist research methods are also flexible and adaptive in order to be responsive to local contexts and circumstances. During the COVID-19 pandemic, several Oxfam Canada projects had to adapt and collect data remotely in the face of lockdowns and social distancing requirements.

Research methods such as surveys, interviews, and focus groups can be conducted using mobile phone and internet technology, but doing so creates new ethical and practical issues that can reinforce gender, economic, and other types of inequalities. For example, gender gaps in mobile phone ownership, internet access, and digital literacy can create barriers to data collection involving women and girls, reinforcing their marginalization and that of other groups without access to these technologies.8

7 8

At their heart, feminist research methods are participatory, learning-centered, action-oriented, and inclusive in their design. They are also non-extractive and facilitate the cocreation of knowledge with participants, allow for reflexivity and intersectional analysis, and support gender-transformative change.

Galandini, S. and F. Mager. (2020). Research Ethics: A Practical Guide. Oxfam Great Britain. https://oxfamilibrary.openrepository.com/bitstream/ handle/10546/621092/gd-research-ethics-practical-guide-091120-en.pdf?sequence=1 Singh, N., Lokot, M., Undie, C., Onyango, M., Morgan, R., Harmer, A., Freedman, J., and S. Heidari. (2021). Research in Forced Displacement: Guidance for a Feminist and Decolonial Approach. The Lancet 397(10274): 560-562.

5 OXFAM CANADA FEMINIST RESEARCH GUIDANCE NOTE

OXFAM FEMINIST RESEARCH IN ACTION:

PARTICIPATORY VISUAL METHODS The “Exploring the Transformative Power of Feminist Research to Address Knowledge Gaps in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and Gender-Based Violence (GBV)” project was implemented in India from 2019-2022 by Oxfam Canada in partnership with Oxfam India. It aimed to understand the intersections between SRHR and GBV in lives of male and female youth in India, while simultaneously testing the gendertransformative potential of the feminist research methodologies used in the project. In particular, it tested the use of participatory visual methods (PVMs) including photovoice and cellphilm.

Project partners used PVMs to engage locally-based youth researchers and explore issues related to SRHR and GBV in their lives and communities. Workshops were held to provide training on how to use different PVMs, and to explain their value for exploring social issues.

Photovoice: uses photography to capture, represent, and reflect on reality from the perspective of participants.

Photographs can communicate significant people, events, attitudes, prompt discussion, and raise awareness about social norms surrounding gender equality and women’s rights.

Cellphilm: the act of taking a short video (typically between 1-3 minutes) with a cellphone, tablet, or other device. The goal of cellphilm is to share a message that represents participants’ ways of looking at a particular issue in their everyday life. It can raise awareness, promote dialogue, be a form of activism, and allow for reflection on participants’ role in advancing gender equality and women’s rights.

These PVMs were used by youth researchers to reflect on the intersections between SRHR, GBV, and gender inequality, using prompts to explore specific topics such as menstruation, consent in relationships, sexuality, and access to SRHR information and services. Their final photovoices and cellphilm videos were then showcased to their families and communities during local exhibitions, where youth interacted with attendees, and facilitated dialogues about the SRHR and GBV issues they chose to depict. These exhibitions provided an unprecedented opportunity for the youth researchers to engage directly with government officials, civil society organizations, service providers, community leaders, and their own families with the aim of increasing awareness and influencing wider change on these issues.

The findings from this project demonstrate the gender-transformative potential of feminist research methodologies and methods. Not only did the process of conducting the PVMs promote greater awareness and knowledge among the youth researchers regarding SRHR and GBV issues in their communities, it also contributed to shifts in their attitudes and behaviours towards gender equality. For example, female youth described having greater awareness of their rights, and exercising increased agency and decision-making over their lives and bodies. Male youth reported speaking more openly about issues related to women’s rights, gender equality, and SRHR, which they previously thought of as “women’s issues”. The youth researchers also reported broader changes in community and family members’ attitudes and behaviours towards gender equality. For example, some female youth shared that since the start of the project, their families were allowing them more freedom of mobility, and treating them with greater attention and respect.

6 OXFAM CANADA FEMINIST RESEARCH GUIDANCE NOTE

FEMINIST CONSIDERATIONS FOR REMOTE DATA COLLECTION • Is remote data collection suitable and feasible for the research objectives and context?

• Will it reinforce or

reproduce gender, economic, and other inequalities?

• Do women, girls, and persons of diverse SOGIESC have equal opportunity to participate?

• What kinds of technology are needed to participate meaningfully in remote data collection? Who has access to this technology and who does not?

• Will any additional

risks, challenges, or burdens be imposed on participants compared to in-person data collection? Do the benefits of participation outweigh the costs?

• How will you ensure

that participants’ confidentiality, privacy, and safety is maintained during remote data collection?

OXFAM FEMINIST RESEARCH IN ACTION:

RAPID GLOBAL SURVEY ON THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON WOMEN’S RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, Oxfam conducted a rapid global survey with partners and allies in the women’s rights sector to understand the impact of this unprecedented global health crisis on women’s rights and feminist organizations and networks and the communities with whom we work.

The survey questions were cocreated through consultations with partner women’s rights organizations, translated into four languages (English, French, Spanish, and Arabic), and distributed across the Oxfam Confederation, as well as to external ally networks. Responses were collected from a total of 222 women’s rights organizations around the world, generating powerful quantitative data about the challenges and gaps that they experienced as a result of COVID-19. Organizations reported impacts in four key areas: shrinking access to decision-making spaces; funding and resourcing constraints; operational and logistical problems; and mental health and social impacts.

These findings were a clear and loud call, not only for an increase in core and sustainable funding, including institutional funding to preserve the sector and prevent further backsliding in gender equality, but also an unequivocal demand for better partnerships and meaningful participation in decision-making at all levels for women’s rights organizations and their members.

Click here to learn more about Oxfam’s rapid global survey.

7 OXFAM CANADA FEMINIST RESEARCH GUIDANCE NOTE

WHY IS FEMINIST RESEARCH IMPORTANT FOR DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMING AND HOW CAN IT BE INTEGRATED? When the necessary time, support, and resources are committed to doing feminist research properly it can add unique value to development programming and increase gender equality outcomes. Feminist research methods, tools, and techniques can be used to explore social issues with and from the perspective of affected communities; to identify and transform the root causes of gender inequality by promoting values clarification, social norm change, and transforming power dynamics; and to collect rich qualitative and quantitative data for project monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning (MEAL). The knowledge produced from feminist research can then feed back into project implementation or future projects, be used for campaigning and advocacy purposes, or support the development of learning and awareness-raising tools with partners and communities.

Feminist research is especially valuable for promoting and documenting any gender-transformative impacts of development projects, including shifts in deeply-rooted gender inequalities and associated norms, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours. Evaluating whether or not a project has incorporated feminist research characteristics or had gendertransformative impacts should be in constant reflection and dialogue with research participants. Oxfam Canada uses a feminist approach to gathering, synthesizing, translating and applying knowledge throughout the life cycle of projects.

Photo credit: PB Miranda – Oxfam 2019

8 OXFAM CANADA FEMINIST RESEARCH GUIDANCE NOTE

OXFAM FEMINIST RESEARCH IN ACTION:

SOCIAL NORMS DIAGNOSTIC TOOL The Social Norms Diagnostic Tool (SNDT) is a feminist participatory research method designed to help project teams and participants identify and discuss social norms, perceptions, and expectations that shape gender inequality, and develop ideas, strategies, and solutions for change. It uses participatory exercises with community members and project participants to explore social issues and prompt discussions structured around key topics. Groups of men and women are typically engaged separately to help address power inequalities in a safe space.

In the Philippines, Oxfam’s Creating Spaces to End Violence Against Women and Girls (Creating Spaces) project applied the SNDT with project partners to identify social norms that shape, constrain, or promote violence against women and girls (VAWG). Participants were engaged in a set of participatory exercises, starting with a discussion identifying gender norms and how they are connected to different kinds of violence, access to SRHR, and ideals of masculinity and femininity. This was followed by a series of vignettes, role plays, and discussions engaging participants on topics related to VAWG, including child and early forced marriage (CEFM), early pregnancy, intimate partner violence, and SRHR. Finally, participants were asked to brainstorm strategies for change and to prioritize them based on community acceptance and available resources.

Throughout the process of conducting the SNDT, participants identified the gender norms and barriers that impacted them, the key stakeholders that were enforcing these norms, and the solutions for change.

Participants were recognized as experts in their specific contexts, and their perspectives and insights were crucial to developing local influencing strategies to end VAWG. Click here for more information on how Oxfam used the SNDT in this project.

Photo credit: Vina Salazar– Oxfam 2019

9 OXFAM CANADA FEMINIST RESEARCH GUIDANCE NOTE

OXFAM FEMINIST RESEARCH IN ACTION:

FEMINIST RESEARCH FOR MEAL Oxfam’s cutting-edge work on feminist MEAL is transforming how projects are being assessed, how we learn from them, and how power is shared in the process. Research to promote feminist MEAL supports knowledge generation that is meaningful, accessible, and relevant to those who rightly own it – the people with whom we work.

Using a strategic combination of core funding and capacity strengthening, Oxfam’s Women’s Voice and Leadership - Pakistan (WVL-Pakistan) project is supporting strong, autonomous, and well-resourced women’s rights organizations, who are best placed to advance gender equality and women’s rights. This will ensure they can deliver programming on their own terms, better meeting the needs of the women and girls they serve.

The project also improves the ability of women’s rights organizations and activists to work together more effectively toward gender-transformative policies.

Oxfam and its partners designed the WVL-Pakistan MEAL system with a feminist approach that aims to center women’s rights organizations as co-implementers of the project. The main challenge in this process was that the 12 women’s rights organizations participating in the project had varying levels of skills, experiences, and resources when it comes to feminist MEAL. This challenge was addressed in a week-long workshop, where the 12 organizations and Oxfam in Pakistan staff focused on learning and practicing feminist MEAL through participatory and reflexive activities, and collectively developing a feminist MEAL system for the project. One workshop participant recorded this cellphilm video, reflecting on the project’s strong commitment to practicing feminist MEAL, whereby women’s rights organizations lead and define what change is and how it is measured.

Click here to learn more about how feminist research was used to measure change in WVL-Pakistan and other Oxfam projects.

10 OXFAM CANADA FEMINIST RESEARCH GUIDANCE NOTE

WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES OF IMPLEMENTING FEMINIST RESEARCH? Feminist research has the potential to challenge social inequalities and promote gendertransformative change, but it comes with its own set of challenges. One of the main challenges of implementing feminist research is the commitment required to doing it properly. This includes a commitment from funders and project managers to devote the necessary time, support, and resources (both human and financial) to promote change that is more transformational in nature.

It can take years and/or even decades to shift deeply rooted social norms, attitudes, and behaviours, or to impact institutions, laws, and policies. Given that feminist research emphasizes the coownership and co-creation of knowledge with participants, there is also a time commitment required to establish relationships based on mutual understanding, collaboration, and trust before research is even fully conceptualized or designed.

A related challenge of feminist research is the high degree of openness and flexibility required to genuinely share power with participants and communities. In the context of development programming, there are real tensions that exist between the participatory ideals of feminist research methodology and the often pre-determined or fixed project management and reporting frameworks imposed by donors. This is true, for example, with respect to the research indicators used to measure and capture project outcomes and impacts. If communities are not involved in selecting and developing these indicators from the outset of a project then the indicators risk being inappropriate or not meaningful for the local context.

Given that feminist research aims to tackle the root causes of gender inequality and contribute to sustainable shifts in unequal power relations, structures, norms, attitudes, and behaviours, there is potential for suspicion, upset, and even backlash from more powerful community members.

Research participants must also be committed to engaging in a feminist research process and be fully informed of all that this entails, including potential risks and time commitment. Given that feminist research aims to tackle the root causes of gender inequality and contribute to sustainable shifts in unequal power relations, structures, norms, attitudes, and behaviours, there is potential for suspicion, upset, and even backlash from more powerful community members. This backlash can be directed towards participants, and steps should be taken to monitor and mitigate against this possibility. Relatedly, because feminist research addresses topics that may be considered highly personal, contested, or taboo (such as GBV and SRHR), a given feminist research initiative may be rejected outright by gatekeepers (e.g. men, elders, political and religious leaders) or the community at large. There may be a need to build in additional time and resources at the outset to engage gatekeepers, raise awareness around the importance of addressing these contested issues, and create local champions who will advocate in support of the feminist research initiaitive as it unfolds, thereby helping to mitigate potential backlash and resistance.

11 OXFAM CANADA FEMINIST RESEARCH GUIDANCE NOTE

CONCLUSION The purpose of this guidance note is to provide support for applying feminist approaches to research, and to showcase practical examples of how integrating feminist research can add value to development programming. Committing to do this work effectively and sensitively is essential to the success of feminist research and its ability to make a difference to the lives of women, girls, and persons of diverse SOGIESC. We must also recognize the different challenges that exists for embedding feminist principles in research processes and development programmes – including those related to ethics, logistics, funding structures, organizational constraints, and local power dynamics. These challenges require sufficient time, resources, flexibility, and commitment in order for feminist research to be done well, and in turn, to reap the full benefits and value that it has to offer.

The characteristics, methodology, and methods laid out in this guidance note serve as ideals to strive for in implementing feminist research within development programming. While it is not always possible to achieve all of these ideals in practice, it is incumbent upon feminist researchers to strive for them, and to practice feminist principles as much as possible in the choices and decisions that we make throughout the research process. It is these choices that bring us closer to the goal of feminist research: co-creating knowledge with communities that can be used to tackle the root causes of gender inequality and contributing to sustainable shifts in unequal power relations.

12 OXFAM CANADA FEMINIST RESEARCH GUIDANCE NOTE

APPENDIX A: GUIDING QUESTIONS FOR IMPLEMENTING FEMINIST RESEARCH This list of guiding questions builds on Oxfam Canada’s experience conducting feminist research to advance gender equality and women’s rights. They are designed to help researchers think critically about how to implement feminist methodology throughout the different phases of the research process. It is important to note that in practice these stages are not always linear and these guiding questions are not mutually-exclusive.

Conceptualization • How does the research recognize and work to address inequalities and power relations between men, women, and persons of diverse SOGIESC, including from an intersectional lens?

• Whose interests are reflected in the conceptualization of the research, and whose are not?

• Have you considered how local norms, power relations, and other structural factors underlying gender inequality will impact your research topic and objectives?

• Has an equitable partnership been established between all partners and the local community before finalizing the research objectives?

• How have individuals from affected communities, especially women, been meaningfully involved in developing the research objectives?

Funding • Have local partners and community members been engaged in the development of the funding proposal?

• Does the budget reflect an adequate and equitable allocation of resources, including sufficient costed time to analyze data, write up and disseminate research findings?

• Who is responsible for receiving, disbursing, and reporting on the funding for this research, and how might their role shape power hierarchies within the research project?

• Is there flexibility in the funding and reporting mechanisms to ensure that power is shared and undue burden is not placed on local research partners and team members?

• Does the distribution and allocation of funding avoid reproducing patriarchal and colonial power dynamics?

13 OXFAM CANADA FEMINIST RESEARCH GUIDANCE NOTE

Research Design • Does the research start from the standpoints and lived experiences of women, girls, and persons of diverse SOGIESC? • Does the research design allow participants to change or adapt elements of research and data collection at any time to better reflect their interests, needs, and/or constraints?

• How have participants been involved in the identification, design, and/or validation of research indicators?

• Do the research questions and methods proposed explore the structural power relations that underlie gender inequalities in relation to the research topic?

• Is the research designed to identify solutions and promote action to address gender and other types of inequalities?

Capacity Strengthening • Does any transfer of knowledge and skills incorporate an examination of power and positionality in determining who provides and receives research capacity strengthening?

• Has the existing local knowledge and expertise of participants been recognized?

• Have the research capacity needs of participants and participating organizations been self-identified?

• Does the capacity strengthening strategy include modalities such as peer-to-peer learning, mentoring, and knowledge sharing that are locally led and context-specific?

• Does the capacity strengthening strategy include values clarification exercises or other activities that promote challenging harmful gender norms?

Data Collection • Are the data collection methods appropriate for the local context?

• Does the data collection strategy allow for the equal, meaningful, and safe participation of groups who hold less power in the community, for example adolescent girls, older women, persons of diverse SOGIESC, or women and girls with disabilities?

• What efforts have been made to ensure that data collection is convenient for participants, including with respect to the gendered division of labour, paid work, and caregiving responsibilities?

• Are participants being fairly compensated for their time commitment to participate in data collection activities? Are childcare or travel vouchers being provided to enable participation?

• Are data collected in a way that facilitates intersectional disaggregation and analysis?

• Will the benefits of data collection outweigh the risks to participants, including from an intersectional lens?

14 OXFAM CANADA FEMINIST RESEARCH GUIDANCE NOTE

Analysis • Does the analysis draw out the similarities and differences between the experiences of men, women, and persons of diverse SOGIESC in relation to the research topic?

• Does the analysis of data incorporate a gender and intersectional lens, including disaggregation by age, race, class, ethnicity, disability, marital status, migration status, indigenous status, and so forth?

• Does the data analysis seek to identify and address gendered power inequalities?

• Does the data analysis highlight the agency of women, girls, and persons of diverse SOGIESC, rather than portraying them as vulnerable and passive victims?

• How are participants involved in analyzing, interpreting, and/or validating the research findings?

Knowledge Translation and Dissemination • How are writing and authorship decisions being made and do these processes reflect the co-creation of knowledge with communities and participants?

• What efforts have been made to share findings with communities that participated in data collection?

• Are you presenting and communicating participants’ experiences in a way that captures their diversity and agency, and explicitly challenges the harmful norms and stereotypes that underlie gender inequality?

• Are the results of the research being synthesized and shared with the aim of galvanizing action and change, feeding back into project implementation, policy-making, and/or influencing with partners and communities?

• What kinds of opportunities are being sought for dissemination and uptake of the research findings by groups who can put them to use including participants, donors, civil society organizations, members of the public, media, community leaders, women’s rights organizations, etc.?

15 OXFAM CANADA FEMINIST RESEARCH GUIDANCE NOTE

APPENDIX B: ADDITIONAL RESOURCES ON FEMINIST RESEARCH Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law, and Development. (2017). Changing Development from the Inside Out: Feminist Participatory Action Research for Development Justice in Asia and Pacific. http://apwld. org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/2017-BOOM-RIW-FPAR-Regional-Report.pdf Cronin-Furman, K. and M. Lake. (2018). Ethics Abroad: Fieldwork in Fragile and Violent Contexts. https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/ view/1D3AA6FCCB5C50F502A99C4B317048F4/S1049096518000379a.pdf/ethics_abroad_fieldwork_in_ fragile_and_violent_contexts.pdf Frisby, W., Maguire, P. and C. Reid. (2009). The ‘F’ Word has Everything to do With it: How Feminist Theories Inform Action Research. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1476750308099595 Hunting, G. (2014). Intersectionality-informed Qualitative Research: A Primer. https://studylib.net/ doc/10714283/intersectionality-informed-qualitative-research--a-primer…

Linabary, J.R. and S.A. Hamel. (2017). Feminist Online Interviewing: Engaging Issues of Power, Resistance and Reflexivity in Practice. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1057/s41305-017-0041-3 Nandagiri, R. (2017). Why Feminism: Some Notes From ‘The Field’ on Doing Feminist Research. LSE Blogs. https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/gender/2017/10/12/why-feminism-some-notes-from-the-field-ondoing-feminist-research/ Parvaz-Butt, A., Jayasinghe, N. and M. Zaaroura. (2019). Integrating Gender in Research Planning. https://policy-practice.oxfam.org.uk/publications/integrating-gender-in-research-planning-620621 Podems, D.R. (2010). Feminist Evaluation and Gender Approaches: There’s a Difference? http://journals. sfu.ca/jmde/index.php/jmde_1/article/view/199 Rathi, A., Sheshadri, A. and A. Tandon. (2022). Feminist Design Practices: Reflections on the Communication And Translation of Feminist Research. Feminist By Design. https://apria.artez.nl/ feminist-design-practices/ Sultana, F. (2007). Reflexivity, Positionality and Participatory Ethics: Negotiating Fieldwork Dilemmas in International Research. https://acme-journal.org/index.php/acme/article/view/786