argue that there are multiple causal paths to the same outcome; that is, successful entry is best
seen as a phenomena of “equifinality” (George and Bennett 10, 157, 161-163). There is not one
set of specific strategies one can use to gain entry, nor is there one set of personal characteristics
or attributes that are likely to make entry more or less feasible. Instead, it is the interaction of
field attributes with researcher attributes—the conjuncture of variables (Mahoney and
Rueschemeyer 2003; Ragin 2000; George and Bennet 2005)—that determines successful access
and rapport. By looking specifically at the deployment of gender and the influence of race in
differing field settings, we argue here that neither gender nor race is a static variable in terms of
access to the field. Rather, the effect of each variable is dependent upon the scripts provided by
the field setting, and the ways in which the researcher is able to manipulate or exploit the
interaction of her own attributes in a given field setting.
Our thesis is thus that the field setting defines the boundaries or ways in which gender
and race are understood. The field setting provides “scripts” for what it means to be white,
black, male, female, Latina, American, etc. Not everyone in the field environment necessarily
accepts these scripts, but they are readily available to informants and, usually, the field
researcher. To gain access and rapport, the field researcher must negotiate their demographic
attributes within these confines. Doing so in a strategic fashion can provide useful and ethical
ways to build access and rapport.
These conclusions were drawn from two very different field research experiences
conducted by demographically similar female field researchers. Below we alternatively outline
each of our projects and the unique challenges each provided for gaining access and report. We
then describe the field research setting and the unique scripts that existed within each when it
came to gender. Discussion of race, ethnicity, citizenship, and class is alternatively infused
within these discussions as they are vital components of identity which could not be divorced
3
Convention