Researching Sensitive Topics

Abstract

This is a methodological chapter, discussing various reasons why sexism and gender discrimination at Turkish universities might be a sensitive topic for research and how to overcome the obstacles associated with researching such a sensitive topic. The reasons why sexism and gender discrimination might be a sensitive topic for research include the research participants' possible identification with a victim position in a sexist environment and a resulting loss of self-esteem on their part as well as the university management's potential disapproval of having one of its faculty interviewed about perceptions of sexism. In this study various research methods are discussed and evaluated, ranging from various forms of snowballing to more randomized ways of finding participants. One tentative conclusion of the present study is that research on sexism and gender discrimination at the university requires the support of powerful academics willing to function as key persons.