Female researcher identities in male spaces and places

This chapter offers a reflexive account of female researchers conducting studies in male-dominated research environments. In reflecting upon our individual experiences of conducting interviews with police officers, male young adult offenders, and ‘incels’, we will begin by exploring the circumstances of the production of our actual, perceived and adopted identities as researchers. Focusing on the need to elicit useful data, build rapport with participants, and ensure researcher safety, we will then collectively reflect on the impact our identities had on both our research and our participants, particularly in relation to gender, age, and social class. Throughout this chapter, we will maintain the position that qualitative researchers cannot be impartial conduits of the truth; drawing upon examples from our research, we will demonstrate how our identities intersected and interacted with those of our participants to influence both the research experience and findings.