Feminist methodologies address the purpose and process of the research enterprise. They are not a particular set of techniques or procedures for gathering data. Rather they stem from the realization that it was the experiences of a very particular group of men, as both subject and object of enquiry, that defined social reality and the theories developed to explain our social worlds. This paper discusses some of the principles and approaches used by feminist researchers to explore the realities of women's lives. The author's research on home care workers, along with selected research in the field of aging, are used to illustrate the analysis and explore the implications of feminist methodologies for our understanding of aging in Canadian society.
