Our Methods

Abstract

We began our study with an interest in understanding the praxis of dual-earner couples as they manage the many and various aspects of their daily lives. Because we are interested in processes, and the meanings of these processes and practices to the individuals and couples involved, we wanted to take advantage of the possibilities that a qualitative design would offer (Ibáñez 1979; Jayaratne and Steward 1991). People and institutions (social subjects) are open systems. To analyse open systems — in this case couples — with the aim of understanding their complex interactions, changes, self-perceptions, etc. requires qualitative methods. For our purposes, we decided that the best method was the use of interviews. In general, the use of qualitative methods allows us to unveil social emergence (the appearance of new traits), whereas quantitative methods are best to establish the statistical distribution of a given set of social features. Once the multifaceted characteristics of a social phenomenon are understood and the bases for theorization established, statistical analysis can be used in order to quantify the distribution of the aforementioned characteristics in a given population. The effectiveness of statistical analysis implies a sort of conceptual closure, and this is the price to pay for knowledge acquired through quantitative methods. In a way, qualitative methods provide the heuristic drive that sets forth the set of distinctions upon which quantitative methods can be applied.