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Feminist empiricism is a practice that is mindful of how individual, cultural, and societal contexts can reproduce sexist and gendered thought in science, particularly during the research process[1]. Feminist empiricists argue that by considering the social context which the research is conducted, as well as the researcher’s social identities, interventions on bias and prejudice can be made if the researcher(s) are aware of them[2]. Taking action against potential bias is a part of feminist empiricism methodology as much as being aware of these biases. Feminist empiricists argue that pushing back against these biases makes the research and findings even richer. Ultimately, feminist empiricists acknowledge how rampant sexist and gendered bias are in research, and go against the idea that the value-free system is enough to prevent the isms of the social world in doing science[3]. Feminist empiricism is typically connected to mainstream notions ofpositivism. Positivism is the idea that if a claim can be proven true by the scientific method, then it must be true. Feminist empiricism critiques what it perceives to be inadequacies and biases within mainstream research methods, including positivism. Feminist empiricism is also one of three main feministepistemological perspectives. The other two arestandpoint feminism andpost-structural/postmodern feminism.
Ininternational relations rationalist feminism[clarification needed] employs feminist empiricism to explain the political landscape. Rationalist feminism examines state, transnational and institutional actors, and specifically looks at causal relationships between these actors and gender issues.Quantitative data is used to relate gender to these phenomena. This may be done by directly correlating gender data to specific state behaviors, or indirectly by examining a "gender gap" through indirect causal relationships.[4] Popular perspectives linked to rationalist feminism within international relations include conventionalconstructivism andquantitative peace research.[4]
Among other criticisms, standpoint feminism also known as anti-rational, argues that feminist empiricism cannot explain the way the political world works because the foundations on which it is built are based on the same gendered assumptions that all mainstream scientific inquiries face.[5] Feminist empiricism argues that, because of its epistemological outlook, it can tackle this inherent gender bias within scientific inquiry.[6]
Post-structural/post-modernfeministepistemology is entirely discursive, seeking to develop understanding through social analysis; to interpret rather than explain feminist theories in the political world.
Feminist empiricism is more likely to favorqualitative data. Objective measurements are seen as important to eliminating thegender bias that exists.[7] Post-structuralism is inherently opposed to the idea of anobjective truth in thesocial sciences. The belief is that those who study within the human sciences are ensnared by the same structures that affect the society in which they study.[8] Post-structural feminism critiques the belief that any viewpoint is impartial; knowledge is not found but constructed.[7] A specific result of this disagreement is the way in which the two theories view gender: feminist empiricism claims that gender variables are based on biological sex, while post-structural/post-modern feminism sees gender as a socially constituted entity.[4]
Feminist empiricist theory is found within the endless scholarly production inFeminist science and technology studies. Feminist Science Studies as a field creates new ideas and frameworks on how to do and view science using a feminist lens. The field and scholars’ end goal is to call to attention how science is socially constructed and is as much a part of our social world as any other discipline, despite conventional norms within science that say otherwise.
Scholars using Feminist Empiricism in Feminist Science Studies Research
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