In article , dg411{at}FreeNet.Carleton.CA
says...
>
> "Jayne Kulikauskas" (momkulio{at}yahoo.ca) writes:
> > "Andre Lieven"  wrote in message
> > news:csk0kv$ao0$1{at}theodyn.ncf.ca...
> >
> > []
> >> I'm not that surprised. Consider: In the publish or perish world of
> >> academe, given it's standing misandry, as well documented in Daphne
> >> Patai's " Professing Feminism ", one can discern
that doing research
> >> which might result in " anti women " results ( Such
as, women lie
> >> more than men ), would be deterred not a small amount.
> >
> > That is a good point.  This is something to keep in mind when I look
> > at this subject.
>
> Indeed. This is an area where " socialisation " does seem to have some
> merit. If one lives, and breaths in an environment where casual bashing
> of men, and boys, is a given, this may well affect at least some
> folks' work, especially when the topics of investigation relate
> to male/female relations.

I don't know how it goes in the social sciences, but in the physical
sciences (and I am most familiar with oceanography),  once you have
been funded for some research, you are pretty much bound to report
whatever results you find---whatever social pressures may be exerted.

It would seem to me that a sociologist examining research results for
significant gender differences would be bound to report the results,
whatever the  results.   I suspect that this is true for researchers
with any professional integrity.

What may vary widely according to social pressures is the forum in
which the result is reported.  A result not fitting the accepted
PC criteria of the week may not make it past peer review into
the more prestigious journals.  It will certainly not be picked
up by the popular press.   A report from an honest researcher
which shows women unfavorably, might thus be relegated to
publication in "Research Monographs of Podunk University",  a
summary of which is unlikely to appear in the New York Times.
If funded, the research report will go to the funding agency,
which is unlikely to see any benefit  to issuing a press
release.

Honest research may be very common.  Biased publication of the
results may be equally common.

Incidentally,  the 'publish  or perish' pressures would seem
to weigh much more heavily on professors in the physical
sciences.  Oceanography professors regularly get grants for
more than a million dollars over many years.  From that money
they support their research and, often,  a half a dozen
research assistants.   That kind of money, and that size
research group, is pretty rare in the social sciences.


>
> Domestic violence is a particularly good example of this, which
> is why it is routine for the police to arrest men victims of it.
> Built in bias.

In this case,  a major source of bias may be in the number of
incidents reported by men and women.   Squeaky wheels get the
grease!   ;-)

>
> Andre
>
> --
> " I'm a man... But, I can change... If I have to... I guess. "
>                                     The Man Prayer, Red Green.
>

Mark Borgerson



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