(M)otherhood, Identity and Positionality In and Out of the Field

Abstract

In this chapter, I demonstrate that researcher positionality such as motherhood status matters beyond data gathering activities during fieldwork. I reflect on how aspects of my identity as a parent, directly and indirectly shaped the topic of my research enquiry and influenced the ways in which I experienced fieldwork and the postgraduate research process in general. I argue that researcher identity, positionality and power relations play important roles in establishing researcher credibility and reconfiguring insider-outsider status, data interpretation and representation. Drawing on encounters from the field, I examine the dilemmas of doing fieldwork as an accompanied researcher with an infant child and a dozen research assistants. The aim of this reflection is to highlight the invisible dilemmas of motherhood/parenthood status, especially for early career female researchers who combine caring, earning, and learning. An improved understanding of these issues is important for providing relevant support for researchers with young families in the workplace, especially in academic institutions.