The role of gender, environment and individual biography in shaping qualitative interview data
Abstract
Reflexivity is a key aspect of qualitative research. Considerable attention has been given to the ways in which gender mediates the production and analysis of qualitative data; however, much of this has been focused on qualitative interviews with women and the influence of the interviewer’s gender in this specific context. Very little work has been done on comparing different interviewer–interviewee contexts such as male‐to‐female, male‐to‐male or female‐to‐male interviewing. Moreover, the interplay of gender with environmental, psycho‐social and other biographical factors within the interview has received little attention. Drawing on four different studies on cancer care, work and family, and parenting, this article examines how each of these factors potentially mediate the collection of qualitative data in a range of interviewer–interviewee contexts. Moreover, it explores gender as both resource and delimiting factor, examining the use of impression management as a researcher tool to mediate potentially problematic interpersonal dynamics. It is concluded that greater attention should be paid to the complex intersectionality of gender, environmental, biographical and psycho‐social factors in qualitative data analysis and write‐up.
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Broom et al. (2009) looked at how contextual, biographical, and psychological variables affected the flow and content of interviews.
“Broom et al. (2009) looked at how contextual, biographical, and psychological variables affected the flow and content of interviews.”
From “If We Don’t Listen to Them, We Make Them Lose More than Money:” Exploring Reasons for Underreporting and the Needs of Older Scam Victims (2023) · cites this paper as Broom et al. 2009
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“Broom et al. (2009) looked at how contextual, biographical, and psychological variables affected the flow and content of interviews.”
- Authors
- Broom, A., Hand, K., & Tovey, P.
- Corresponding author
- Broom, Alex
- Venue
- International Journal of Social Research Methodology
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2009-02
- Volume
- 12
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 51-65
- ISSN
- 1364-5579 (ISSN-L)
- 1464-5300
- OpenAlex
- W2020127485
- Cited by
- 180
- References
- 44
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 12 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 12 · 2013: 12 · 2012: 13
- FWCI
- 12.73
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- International Journal of Social Research Methodology (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Qualitative Research Methods and Ethics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Focus Groups and Qualitative Methods
- Social Sciences › Education › Qualitative Research Methods and Applications
- Keywords
- reflexivity, gender, interviewer-interviewee relationship, interviewer gender, biographical factors, psychosocial factors, impression management, intersectionality, cancer care, family and work, parenting
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