Women in Developing Countries

In this paper, I draw from my fieldwork in Iran and raise questions regarding our methods of data collection and theoretical concepts in studying women in developing countries. First, I outline the shortcomings of quantitative methods of social science inquiry. Second, drawing from the experience of women in Iran, I join the feminist literature, particularly Third World feminism, on diversity and difference and oppose the homogenization of Third World women. This article uses an alternative approach which not only goes beyond the traditional social science methodology, but also beyond the pitfalls of simple feminist essentialism.