A reflection on my academic and data journey
Posted: Sat Feb 08, 2025 3:19 am
Helen Norman shares her data and research journey in investigating the role of fathers in family work.
I have always been interested in gender, particularly doing research that addresses gender inequalities across work and family life. This is because of the profound impact that gender has on our lives, shaping opportunities and pathways in multiple and discriminatory ways. Little did I know where this interest would take me.
Early academic career
My interest in gender inequalities gave me netherlands rcs data the impetus to pursue a research focused MSc at the University of Manchester in 2004. When choosing my dissertation topic, a review of the literature revealed a lack of research – particularly quantitative research – on men and fathers and their involvement in family work with most studies in this area defaulting to women. Yet I felt that men had an equally important role to play in the pursuit of gender equality.
This literature gap steered me to do my dissertation comparing the influences on fathers’ childcare involvement in the UK and Sweden using the European Social Survey. My supervisor was Colette Fagan – a Professor of Sociology (and a world-leading expert in gender relations and inequalities to boot!) However, I was still a data analysis novice so I sought some additional support during the final stages of my project from my then social statistics lecturer – Professor Mark Elliot – who had taught me about the wonders of correlations and linear regressions as part of my mandatory MSc quantitative methods training.
I have always been interested in gender, particularly doing research that addresses gender inequalities across work and family life. This is because of the profound impact that gender has on our lives, shaping opportunities and pathways in multiple and discriminatory ways. Little did I know where this interest would take me.
Early academic career
My interest in gender inequalities gave me netherlands rcs data the impetus to pursue a research focused MSc at the University of Manchester in 2004. When choosing my dissertation topic, a review of the literature revealed a lack of research – particularly quantitative research – on men and fathers and their involvement in family work with most studies in this area defaulting to women. Yet I felt that men had an equally important role to play in the pursuit of gender equality.
This literature gap steered me to do my dissertation comparing the influences on fathers’ childcare involvement in the UK and Sweden using the European Social Survey. My supervisor was Colette Fagan – a Professor of Sociology (and a world-leading expert in gender relations and inequalities to boot!) However, I was still a data analysis novice so I sought some additional support during the final stages of my project from my then social statistics lecturer – Professor Mark Elliot – who had taught me about the wonders of correlations and linear regressions as part of my mandatory MSc quantitative methods training.