A predominant issues that needs careful reflection is the reality that although my research deals with parents the reality of my work to date means that it is mothers who form my sample. It is interesting to note that even today, women seem to be, by far the primary care givers for children. An example of this is with the Bingo 'n' Butties group that I attend on Wednesday mornings, not one man attends the session bar me. This also goes to all of the support staff. Across the service and outreach workers that I have met not one of them is male. Does this matter? Certainly there has been a lot written in but the subject with Sure Start guidance suggesting that there should be "a male Father's outreach post" although I have yet to come across one.
This question can be asked on two levels: a) how it relates to me as a researcher and b) sociologically. Dealing with the first point how does it affect my research? Certainly many feminist researcher talk about women interviewing women.
Dealing with the sociological question -- this is something I don't have any ready answer to. In an attempt to find out a little more I am reading Diane Reay's Class Work : Mother's Involvement in their Children's Primary Schooling. Perhaps it should be no real surprised that mothers take the predominate role in dealing with children, yet my thoughts were that in our current world men would take a bigger role. Then again reflect against the growing feminisation of say education, especially primary schools, or the near total feminisation of any kind of early years provision should we be surprised where men are absent from child care?
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