The interview as narrative ethnography : seeking and shaping connections in qualitative research.

Acts of counter-subjectification in qualitative research are always present but are often submerged in accounts that seek to locate the power of subjectification entirely with the researcher. This is particularly so when talking to people about sensitive issues. Based on an interview-based study of infertility and reproductive disruption among British Pakistanis in Northeast England, we explore how we, as researchers, sought and were drawn into various kinds of connections with the study participants; connections that were actively and performatively constructed through time. The three of us that conducted interviews are all female academics with Ph.Ds in anthropology, but thereafter our backgrounds, life stories and experiences diverge in ways that intersected with those of our informants in complex and shifting ways. We describe how these processes shaped the production of narrative accounts and consider some of the associated analytical and ethical implications

You are what you play?: a quantitative study into game design preferences across gender and their interaction with gaming habits

Gaming is rapidly gaining popularity as a pastime among women. One explanation for this could be the industry targeting female gamers through specific ‘girl game’ releases. This could imply that there are a priori differences in game design preferences between female and male gamers. The purpose of the present study is to explore these differences to see whether there is a mediating effect of previous experience with certain game genres on subsequent design preferences of male and female gamers. More particularly, we distinguish between ‘core’ genre players (CP) and ‘non-core’ genre players (NCP). By means of a 2*2 ANOVA design using an online survey, we examine the main effects of gender, core genre players (CP/NCP) and the interaction effects between both independent variables. The results show that game preferences of male CP, female CP and male NCP are generally in line with one another whereas those of female NCP differ significantly

Gender and the construction of identity within climate technology innovation in Kenya

This paper undertakes an analysis of the discursive construction of the entrepreneurial identity within media on climate technology(CT) innovation in Kenya. Using the STEPS pathways approach along side a post-structuralist feminist identity framework, it explores the way that the narrative of entrepreneur-led innovation may include or exclude the framings of particular actors. The paper draws on ideas of antagonism in identity construction, legitimacy, and access to resources, in order to identify those actors that may perceive themselves as, or be perceived as, more or less legitimate as CT entrepreneurs, thus being more or less likely to gain access to resources for CT innovation. Although the climate technology entrepreneur aligns in some ways with more normatively feminine notions of the caring social entrepreneur, overall the CT entrepreneur remains a masculine identity. Women are underrepresented in media portrayals of CT entrepreneurship.Further, portrayals of women CT entrepreneurs tend to question their legitimacy, depicting them as either requiring the support of men, or as taking up masculine characteristics in order to gain credibility. The paper demonstrates that this might translate into more favourable attitudes towards men CT entrepreneurs when seeking access to institutional support. It recommends further research into the capacity for CT entrepreneurship to effectively incorporate marginalised framings, and where entrepreneurship will fail to meet their needs, it calls for increased support for appropriate alternative processes of climate technology innovation

Equalities in Scotland’s Growth Economic Sectors: Final Report

Aims The purpose of the study was to examine equality issues in Scotland’s growth sectors since baseline research carried out in 2009, focusing on trends in the following protected characteristics: gender; age; disabilities; ethnic minorities; gender reassignment; marital and civil partnership status; maternity and pregnancy; religion and belief; and sexual orientation. Scotland’s growth sectors are identified as: creative industries; energy; financial and business services; food and drink; life sciences; tourism; universities; chemical sciences; construction; engineering; and ICT and digital technologies. Methods The methodology primarily consisted of analysis of a range of datasets, including the Annual Population Survey, (APS) to establish the representation of individuals with protected characteristic in each growth sector; the FAME database, to establish the representation of women, young people and older people among company directors; data from Skills Development Scotland and the Scottish Funding Council on the supply of labour into the growth sectors from the protected characteristics, in terms of Modern Apprenticeship starts, college enrolments and university entrants; and key research published since 2010 on the representation of protected characteristics in the growth sectors and, where available, the factors that are driving this. Information was also collated from a small number of organisations that work with individuals with protected characteristics in order to supplement the desk-based research where there was no or limited data or literature available. Findings The report suggests that no overarching trends can be identified. The representation of individuals with some protected characteristics in the workforce is increasing, but it is declining for others. It also indicates mixed findings on a sector-by-sector basis, with sectors often making progress on the representation of some equalities groups within their workforce whilst experiencing a decline in others. The recession is highlighted as a key factor as, due to the issues faced by many protected characteristics in relation to the labour market, groups such as young people, disabled people and ethnic minorities have experienced disproportionate decreases in employment and increases in unemployment. The creative industries was found to be the sector that is most open to individuals with protected characteristics, while, with the exception of older workers, all groups were found to be underrepresented in the energy sector. Recommendations The report notes that, as the representation of individuals from equalities groups varies across growth sectors, there is a need to customise responses by sector. It is also suggested that in order that individuals from protected characteristics are able to access the good quality employment opportunities that the growth sectors offer, efforts must be made to tackle underrepresentation where it exists and that a key element of this must be to ensure better representation of individuals with protected characteristics on Modern Apprenticeships, and on college or university courses, that lead to careers in these sectors. The report argues that increasing the representation of protected characteristics within the sector is not sufficient, however, and efforts must also be deployed to tackling pay gaps, occupational segregation and the lack of progression into management and leadership roles

How men and women learn about sex: multi-generational perspectives on insufficient preparedness and prevailing gender norms in Scotland

Attitudes towards sexual health and relationships are learned from a young age, and there is an ongoing need for innovative and comprehensive approaches to sex education that keep pace with rapidly changing contexts of people’s lives. We used thematic analysis of data from two qualitative studies in Scotland to explore learning contexts from a multi-generational perspective, as well as the influence of different socio-cultural factors on provision, access to and experience of sex education. The importance, but inadequacy, of school as a source of learning, was a persistent theme over time. Participants’ strategies to address perceived gaps in knowledge included experience, conversations, vicarious and online learning. Gender and age differences emerged, with younger participants more likely to go online for information, and prevailing gender norms shaping attitudes and behaviours across both study groups. Participants who identified as gay, lesbian or bisexual described feeling particularly unprepared for sex and relationships due to the narrow, heteronormative content received. Although schools continue to be a common source of information, it appears that they fail to equip young people for their post-school sexual life-course. We recommend the mandatory provision of comprehensive, positive, inclusive and skills-based learning to improve people’s chances of forming and building healthy, positive relationships across the lifespan

Review of CCAFS Scaling Activities

This review was commissioned by CCAFS Learning Platform for Partnerships and Capacity Building for Scaling Climate Smart Agriculture, with the aim to reflect on CCAFS project portfolio to highlight good practices and gaps in implementation of CCAFS Scaling Activities. The review was undertaken with a systemic approach, using the concepts of design thinking and system thinking throughout its methodology and analysis. 21 practitioners throughout CCAFS regional, flagship and learning platform portfolios were interviewed between March and May 2019. The results are presented in a way that allows CCAFS to identify areas to deepen systematically upon; areas for CCAFS’s further strategic or conceptual support, and areas that require more research by CCAFS. The systemic analysis shows that CCAFS has the potential to consciously transform into a learning organization and an innovation environment, thereby fostering and increasing its performance, relevance and overall impact in changing and challenging circumstances. The results were discussed and validated with the CCAFS Core Team (CT) in the frame of a CCAFS CT Workshop on Scaling on 15th May in Madrid. In open learning formats, the CT prioritized its next step. The review report further contains a set of recommendations, derived from both the review and the CT Workshop on Scaling, which shall help CCAFS to transform into both a learning organization and an innovation environment

Conceiving time?: women who do or do not conceive

This article explores the importance of time for an understanding of women's experiences of reproductive identity. In order to do this we draw on data from two separate qualitative research projects. The first project is concerned with the experiences of conception, pregnancy, childbirth and early motherhood in primagravidae, whilst the second focuses on the experiences of individuals (especially women) who defined themselves (at the time of the fieldwork, or some time previously) as 'involuntarily childless' and/or 'infertile'. These two areas are usually treated as separate; however this article explores similarities between them in terms of time and medicalisation. Our central concern then is with exploring the similarities of experience for women who do or do not conceive