Equal Opportunities Work - Theories about Practice

oth women and men will be able to leave their mark on education and
research.
The quotation referred to above also leads us to ask whether or not gender
research is normative. I discuss this question below, passing first through the
area where the question of how to define a feminist researcher is discussed.
Ulla M. Holm provides the following answer:
A feminist researcher declares her stance in terms of women's politics,
i.e., she takes feminist stands and is a spokesperson for ieminist
issues. Her research has explicitly normative aims. Her political
involvement means speaking out in favor of the liberation of *o*1
from various forms of oppression and discrimination. Her theoretical
considerations rest on this involvement and are an indispensable part
of this liberation process.2e
Here, Holm intertwines two ideas that may also be separated, In her view, a
feminist researcher is characterized by her political involvement, and in doing
feminist research she strives for women's liberation. Thus, the aim of her
research is emancipative. Moreover, a feminist's research is based on
analytical or theoretical perspectives rooted in her politicat involvement.
According to Holm, this is a theoretical gender perspective. All feminists reject
androcentric perspectives, and some feminists also want to see gynocentric
perspectives developed.3o
Let us now make an analytical distinction between basing one's research on
some kind of theoretical gender perspective and working for women's political
or social rights in society. We might initially call these two activities
"feminism in research theory" and
"feminism in politics".
These two terms may be combined in four different ways, characterizing
four kinds of researchers:
1. Researchers who are feminists in both the theoretical and the political
senses, and whose research often has explicitly emancipative aims.
29 Hot., lJ., Modrande och praxis,Daidalos 1993, (..Mothering and praxis,,, p.33).
30 ruia. p.tz.
In this quotation, it is understood that women researchers are being discussed. Can a man be a feminist? Cannot
both women and men make analyses on the basis of a gender persfective and work to promote equality of
opportunity? Or is it necessary.to have personal experience ofbeing subordinated owing to on"', ,"* in order to
call oneself a feminist, in which case men are excluded. Shall we .u=y tnut feminism."qoir., personal experience
but that there can be gender researchers of both sexes?
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