Using Feminist Theory as a Lens in Educational Research
Joan Nkansaa Nkansah, EdD

Abstract
This article is a blueprint for using feminist theory as a lens in educational research. Feminist theory explores how systems of power and oppression interact. The theory highlights social issues overlooked or misidentified by society because they appear natural and reasonable to the dominant perspective. The feminist theory can be used to analyze women’s social experiences with gender subordination, oppression, and gender inequality and to identify remedies to these gender-specific discrimination issues. The paper provides an in-depth literature review of the feminist theory while applying the theory to a contemporary research topic. The article explores the origin of feminism, how the feminist movements birthed the feminist theory, and how the feminist theory can be considered feminism extending into philosophical or theoretical fields. The paper further explores how the gender constructs of the feminist theory (gender inequality, gender oppression, gender roles, gender objectification, and gender division of labor) can be used to explore the experiences of women leaders in the contemporary organizational setting.

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