A research approach that enables the researcher to explore, in some depth, the perspective of each female research participant and, as a consequence, offer some insights into the declining gender balance in the IS field, offers significant benefits.
Adopting a feminist research approach has enabled the researcher to:
develop and establish a rapport with the participants to a level and depth that would be difficult with alternative approaches; first in a convivial social situation and then on a personal one-on-one basis;
inform the research process based on her own experience and to extend and explore issues with participants based upon that experience, resulting in richer data and a greater insight into the research problem; and
gain a richer and more detailed insight into the research problem through the explicit adoption of a research approach that supports women in challenging and confronting a situation that requires social change.
This paper has provided an example of research conducted using a feminist approach and qualitative research methods to demonstrate that it is a viable alternative in IS gender research. The approach was beneficial in conducting this research as it enabled the researcher to explore the research problem more fully and in greater depth. The individual women participants were given a voice and as a group their combined wisdom was illuminating. However, as acknowledged at the beginning of this paper, due to the exploratory nature of the research and the nature of the issues investigated, little if any immediate change is likely to occur as a direct result of this study.
Nevertheless, perhaps now the time is right for researchers studying gender issues within IS to consider potentially useful alternative approaches to the more conventional ways. The worsening gender imbalance in the IS/IT discipline demands new and innovative approaches and the need to ensure that the views of women are adequately represented in the workforce should provide a powerful catalyst to action.