Worldviews and Gender Research

Gender is a construct used to define the characteristics and roles expected of individuals based on their biological sex. Historically, researchers have applied different worldviews when attempting to understand gender. A worldview is a foundational belief system or framework that researchers employ to help them develop and summarize knowledge on a topic about human behavior. This entry describes the three primary worldviews that are utilized in the study of gender: (1) the positivist, (2) the interpretive, and (3) the critical worldviews. A discussion of how these worldviews have been applied to the scientific study of gender follows, describing the three categories often thought to most saliently affect gender: (1) biology, (2) psychology, and (3) culture. The entry concludes with a discussion of current and future ...