Making feminism count: integrating feminist research principles in large-scale quantitative research on violence against women and girls

ABSTRACT

Applying a feminist approach to research on ending violence against women and girls (VAWG) is critical because gender inequality is an underlying driver of VAWG, and feminist research aims to empower women and girls, as well as challenge prevailing inequalities through the research process itself. However, feminist research approaches have not historically been applied in the international development sector, although statistical evidence on what works to end VAWG is in high demand from governments and donors. In this article, we explore how researchers could practically reconcile an explicitly feminist undertaking, like ending VAWG, when accepted research practices within this field employ methods that are historically not informed by feminist praxis. We argue that quantitative research and feminist research approaches are not mutually exclusive, rather, they can (and do) overlap. Drawing on five decades of combined experience conducting quantitative studies on VAWG in low- and middle-income countries around the world, we highlight the challenges and opportunities for incorporating feminist research principles throughout the research process – from design, community engagement, data collection, analysis, dissemination, and policy influence. We draw on practical examples from research conducted in countries as diverse as Timor-Leste, Kiribati, and Sri Lanka, among others, illustrating that it is not only possible to apply feminist research principles to large-scale, quantitative survey research on VAWG, but that this should become a priority for good development practice.

Il est crucial d’appliquer une approche féministe aux recherches sur l’élimination de la violence à l’égard des femmes et des filles (VEFF) parce que, d’une part, l’inégalité entre les sexes est un facteur sous-jacent de la VEFF et, d’autre part, les travaux de recherche féministe cherchent à autonomiser les femmes et les filles, en plus de mettre en question les inégalités dominantes à travers le processus de recherche lui-même. Cependant, les approches de recherche féministe n’ont pas été appliquées, traditionnellement, au secteur de développement international, même si les données statistiques sur ce qui fonctionne en matière d’élimination de la VEFF sont très demandées par les gouvernements et les bailleurs de fonds. Dans cet article, nous examinons la manière dont les chercheurs pourraient, dans la pratique, mener une initiative expressément féministe, comme l’élimination de la VEFF, tandis que les pratiques de recherche acceptées dans ce domaine emploient des méthodes qui ne sont traditionnellement pas éclairées par la praxis féministe. Nous soutenons que les recherches quantitatives et les approches de recherche féministe ne sont pas mutuellement exclusives, mais qu’elles peuvent se chevaucher (et, de fait, se chevauchent). En s’inspirant de cinquante ans d’expérience combinée de la réalisation d’études quantitatives sur la VEFF dans les pays à revenu faible et intermédiaire dans le monde entier, nous mettons en relief les défis et les opportunités pour l’incorporation des principes de la recherche féministe tout au long du processus de recherche – de la conception au dialogue communautaire, en passant par la collecte, l’analyse et la diffusion des données, et l’influence sur les politiques générales. Nous nous inspirons d’exemples concrets tirés de recherches menées dans des pays aussi divers que le Timor-Oriental, Kiribati et le Sri Lanka, entre autres, en illustrant que non seulement il est possible d’appliquer les principes de la recherche féministe aux travaux de recherche quantitative à grande échelle sur la VEFF sous forme d’enquêtes, mais que cela devrait devenir une priorité pour parvenir à de bonnes pratiques de développement. 

La aplicación de un enfoque feminista a las investigaciones que abordan la manera de poner fin a la violencia contra mujeres y niñas (vawg) es fundamental; en este sentido, por un lado, la desigualdad de género es una causa subyacente de la vawg y, por el otro, la investigación feminista tiene como objetivo empoderar a mujeres y niñas, haciendo que el mismo proceso de investigación cuestione, a la vez, las desigualdades prevalecientes a través del mismo proceso de investigación. Sin embargo, tradicionalmente, los enfoques de investigación feminista no se aplicaron en el sector de desarrollo internacional, aunque la evidencia estadística sobre qué funciona para poner fin a la vawg tiene gran demanda por parte de gobiernos y donantes. En el presente artículo examinamos cómo los investigadores pueden conciliar de manera práctica una tarea explícitamente feminista, como terminar con la vawg, cuando los métodos de investigación aceptados en este campo no están sustentados históricamente por la praxis feminista. Sostenemos que la investigación cuantitativa y los enfoques de investigación feministas no son mutuamente excluyentes, sino que suelen (y muy a menudo) coincidir. A partir de cinco décadas de experiencia conjunta en la realización de estudios cuantitativos sobre la vawg en países de bajos y medianos ingresos en todo el mundo, destacamos los desafíos y las oportunidades que conlleva la incorporación de los principios de investigación feminista a todo el proceso de investigación: el diseño, la participación de la comunidad, la recopilación de datos, el análisis, la difusión y la incidencia en las políticas. Al respecto nos basamos en ejemplos prácticos de investigaciones realizadas en países tan diversos como Timor Oriental, Kiribati y Sri Lanka, entre otros, que ilustran que no solo es posible aplicar los principios de la investigación feminista a la investigación cuantitativa sobre vawg a gran escala, sino que su aplicación debería convertirse en una prioridad para las buenas prácticas de desarrollo.

KEYWORDS:

• Feminist research
• violence against women and girls
• quantitative research
• survey research
• development practices

Notes on contributors

Loksee Leung is Research and Evaluation Lead at The Equality Institute. Postal address: 8 Robbs Parade, Northcote, Victoria, Australia. Email: [email protected]

Stephanie Miedema is a Doctoral Candidate and MPH Candidate, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Email: [email protected]

Xian Warner is a Research and Program Coordinator at The Equality Institute. Email: [email protected]

Sarah Homan is a Research Associate at The Equality Institute. Email: [email protected]

Emma Fulu is Executive Director and Founder of The Equality Institute. Email: [email protected]

Notes

1 VAWG is defined as any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual, or mental harm or suffering to women and girls, including threats of such acts, coercion, or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or private life (United Nations 2013). It encompasses many forms of violence, including violence by an intimate partner, rape, sexual assault and other forms of sexual violence perpetrated by someone other than a partner, child sexual abuse, forced prostitution, and trafficking of women, as well as harmful traditional practices such as early forced marriage, female genital mutilation, and honour killing (García-Moreno et al. 2015).

2 The SDGs – the UN's blueprint for achieving a more prosperous, equitable, and sustainable world – have specific targets on violence against women and children as part of SDG5, the Gender Equality Goal, and SDG 16, the Goal for Just, Peaceful and Inclusive Societies.

3 The WHO methodology refers to the methodology of the WHO's Multi-country Study on Women's Health and Domestic Violence Against Women Survey, which has been implemented across multiple countries. An explanation of the methodology can be found in the main report from the initial study at www.who.int/reproductivehealth/publications/violence/24159358X/en/ (last checked 8 October 2019).

4 The UNMCS on Men and Violence was a study on men's perpetration of violence against women and girls, conducted in Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Sri Lanka between 2010 and 2013. For more information, see www.svri.org/what-we-do/research-support/un-multi-country-study-men-and-violence (last checked 22 October 2019).

5 The Nabilan Baseline Study used both the WHOMCS and the UNMCS methodology to collect data on women's experiences and men's perpetration of VAWG in Timor-Leste. The Study served as a programmatic baseline for The Asia Foundation's Nabilan Program on Ending Violence Against Women, but additionally contributed rigorous quantitative data to the knowledge base on violence against women and girls in the country. For more information, see https://asiafoundation.org/publication/understanding-violence-women-children-timor-leste-findings-main-report/ (last checked 22 October 2019).

6 Founded in 2015 by Dr. Emma Fulu, EQI is a global research and creative agency working to advance gender equality and prevent VAWG. For more information, see www.equalityinstitute.org/ (last checked 22 October 2019).

7 For example, the WHO's Multi-country Study on Women's Health and Domestic Violence Against Women Survey, the International Men and Gender Equality Survey (Promundo, ICRW), the Norway Study on Gender Equality and Quality of Life (NGI and WRI), and the Men's Health and Relationships Study (MRC).

8 See Raising Voices, SASA! (http://raisingvoices.org/sasa/, last checked 10 May 2019).