Association for Consumer Research

ASSOCIATION FOR CONSUMER RESEARCH Labovitz School of Business & Economics, University of Minnesota Duluth, 11 E. Superior Street, Suite 210, Duluth, MN 55802 Objectivity and Gender in Consumer Research: a Feminist Deconstructionist Critique Julia M. Bristor, University of Houston, Texas Eileen Fischer, York University, CANADA [to cite]: Julia M. Bristor and Eileen Fischer (1991) ,"Objectivity and Gender in Consumer Research: a Feminist Deconstructionist Critique", in GCB - Gender and Consumer Behavior Volume 1, eds. Dr. Janeen Arnold Costa, Salt Lake City, UT : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 115-123. [url]: http://www.acrwebsite.org/volumes/15552/gender/v01/GCB-01 [copyright notice]: This work is copyrighted by The Association for Consumer Research. For permission to copy or use this work in whole or in part, please contact the Copyright Clearance Center at http://www.copyright.com/. Objectivity and Gender in Consumer Research: A Feminist Deconstructionist Critique Julia M. Bristor, University of Houston, Texas Eileen Fischer, York University, CANADA Objectivity in consumer research is affected by the intentionality or conscious sexist motivations on fact that it is a gendered enterprise reflecting a the part of specific individuals. To the contrary, distinctly male perspective on male problems. The we contend that it is precisely because gender origins of this bias can be traced to the traditional biases are fl subtle, unexamined part of our positivist model of science which incorporates cultural anti institutional world view, and research asymmetric assumptions about gender. As a result, tradition, that they are difficult to identify and the scientific enterprise is closely associated with problematic to correct. However, as was Jessie masculine traits and distanced from feminine traits. Bernard (1973), we are "concerned,as any fair This paper explores specific ways in which biases n1inded person must be, with the effects of sexism are manIfest in consumer research, and briefly in the position of women in our profession and in suggests ways in which feminist scholars are our society; but [we are] also concerned, as any attempting to eliminate these biases. dedicated [consumer researcher] must be, with its affects on our discipline as well," (pg. 776). INTRODUCTION Second, post-positivists generally argue that obtaining objectivity in practice is impossible, if Objectivity has long been considered a hallmark not undesirable (cf. Anderson 1986; Lincoln and of science. In the last decade however, consumer Guba 1985). However, the concept of objectivity researchers have raised important questions is complex and multidimensional. Few would concerning objectivity (c.f., Anderson 1986; Hunt suggest that systematic biases that lead to 1990; Peter and Olson 1983). One aspect of this incomplete and distorted forms of knowledge are discussion has involved the role of values in acceptable, especially when that knowledge is research, and whether a value-free enterprise is presented as gender inclusive are desirable. Here, possible. Even conservative researchers have we only argue that gender biases represent a conceded that research is likely to be value-laden correctable and undesirable lapse of objectivity. (Hunt 1990). However, the discussion has not Third, gender biases can occur in both directions; been very specific about the sorts of values that however instances of biases against women are far might be brought to the research workbench or more pervasive than biases against men (Eichler whether some sorts of values are morelless 1988). Finally, space limitations prevent us from appropriate than others. In this paper, we argue examining the important issue of how gender that values associated with gender, the set of biases are intertwined with race, class and cultural socially constructed characteristics associated with biases. the feminine--masculine dichotomy that provide a fundamental aspect of life through which humans The paper is organized as follows. We first trace think about and organize their social activity have the source of much gender bias to the history of a significant and constraining effect on the the development of consumer behavior as a social practice of consumer research (Harding 1986). science. Second, we provide some specific Specifically, we use a feminist deconstructionist illustrations of gender biases in consumer approach to explore ways in which a n1ale or research. Finally, we draw on the feminist androcentric perspective has informed consumer philosophy of science literature for suggestions as research and led to gender biases in areas such as to how such problems could be eliminated in problem definition, methodology and resultant consumer research. knowledge. As a starting point, we wish to be extremely clear on four points. First, that we are not presuming 115 THE HISTORY OF CONSUMER RESEARCH inquiry has been implicitly founded on this model. Relatively speaking, consumer research is a young Using this as a backdrop, there are two main discipline in the social sciences; the first arguments on which claims about in-principle Association for Consumer Research conference genderedness of science turn. The first argument was held in 1969 and the Journal of Consumer is that the natural sciences have been gendered Research was founded in 1974. Like most other and gender biased from their inception. social science disciplines, philosophy of science Numerous feminist deconstructions have shown issues have provoked substantial and often heated that the model of science is imbued with sexual debate. Unlike the closely related field of metaphors, including rape and violation, and marketing, it has been consumed less by the socially constructed gender dichotomies that are question of whether it is a science or not and assigned on the basis of biological sex, and are more with issues concerning "good"and "bad" differentially value-laden (Harding 1986; Keller science. This is because from its inception, 1990). Things masculine, and thus men, are consumer research has achieved scientific accorded power, dominance and a higher worth credibility by emulating the theories and methods than things feminine, and thus women. For of psychology. Although much older, more example, Jordanova's (1980) study of eighteenth credible and accorded greater scientific stature and nineteenth-cenruryFrench and British within the hierarchy of the social sciences, biomedical scientists which reveals how gender psychology has also had its share of internal symbolism has been used to reconceptualize philosophical and methodological debates (Taylor nature as female. "Science and medicine as 1973). Sherif (1987) characterized the field as a activities were associated with sexual metaphors scientific hierarchy consisting of experimentalists which were clearly expressed in designating nature at the top, then tester/statisticians, then as a woman to be unveiled, unclothed and developmentalists, then social psychologists and penetrated by masculine science," (Jordanova finally clinicians at the bottom. Since the route to 1980, pg. 45). One example of the confounding of scientific respectability has been rigorous scientific biology with social constructions of gender and methods, each field within this hierarchy has gender roles is seen in the wax models of humans sought to improve its status by adopting used in anatomical drawings and educational perspectives, theories and methods as high on the displays at museums: hierarchy as possible. For the top of the hierarchy, the natural sciences provided the "The female figures are recumbent, frequently needed exemplar. There, empiricism was well adorned with pearl necklaces. They have long established, and asymmetric gender assumptions hair, and occasionally they have hair in the pubic dating back to Aristotle were deeply entrenched area also. These "Venuses"as they were (Lange 1983; Spelman 1983). Since much social significantly called lie on velvet or silk cushions, in phenomenon is not directly observable, the a passive, almost sexually inviting pose. requirement for direct observation via the senses Con1p~rable male figures are usually upright, and inhibited the development of the modern social often in a position of motion," (Jordanova 1980, sciences until the 17th century when Rene pg.54). Descartes resolved the mind-body problem. The mind-body problem asks whether the human mind Thus, since the social sciences are modeled is separate or connected to the body. Decartes' directly on the natural sciences, and since the conclusion that they were separate enabled social natural sciences have incorporated such gender scientists to dismiss the mind as either constructions, it follows that the social sciences inaccessible or non-existent (Rubenstein 1981). have as well. An10ng it many effects, this enabled social scientists to use the scientific method, complete The second argument for in-principle with a mechanistic, stimulus-response view of genderedness involves showing that the causality, and methods through which hun1an paradign1atic status of physics as the model of behavior could be manipulated and studied as science, is inappropriate because it is actually a though they were any other inert, passive object. special case of the social sciences. This position Until quite recently, most consumer research (cf., Harding 1986; Nielsen 1990) is advanced on the grounds its subject matter is relatively simple 116 compared with the social sciences. Further, while This view has significant

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