Have you ever heard someone say that studying gender is “subjective” or that the social science study of gender is a  “soft science?” The next time you hear oversimplifications about the inflated value of positivist science, misappropriation of objectivity, and devaluing of certain methodologies, harken back to this issue where we clearly present multiple methodologies which further the science and our understanding of gender as we live it.

Both qualitative and qualitative methods are used to further the understanding of gender in the private sphere of the home. In Paying a Price for Domestic Equality: Risk Factors for Backlash against Nontraditional Husbands, Chaney et al. quantitatively explores how American men manage their sense of masculinity as they grow toward equality in the household. Lesch and Parker use qualitative methods to describe how Indian and Malay Muslim married couples construct gender in their relationships in “We are equal”!: Gender constructions in a group of middle-class South African Muslim couples. Heidari-Shareza uses both qualitative and quantitative methods in A Sociolinguistic Analysis of Gender in Persian Verbal Humor: The Case of Online Jokes in Iran.

In the public sphere, Conlin et al. quantitatively assess whether US participants’ perceived behavioral or belief inconsistencies, or perceived knowledge deficits, predicted feminist self-identification and activism in Bad Feminists? Perceived Self-Discrepancy Predicts Differences in Gender Equality Activism. Buchanan and Milnes also rely on use a quantitative scale of work performance to uncover potential employers’ gender-oriented judgment in Pre-Career Perceptions of Gendered Work Performance: The Impact of Own-Gender Referents and Work Experience on Male Evaluation Bias.

Yes, gender researchers are multi- and interdisciplinary and international. We utilize multiple methodologies which are reliable, valid, and productive in advancing our fields and untangling the intricacies of gender. We hope that you enjoy this issue and have a great month!