Professor A, who is based in Europe, has been funded to develop ICT solutions relevant for rural health in a central Asian republic. She is keen to contribute to building local capacity in research and interaction design skills, and so is collaborating on the research with the IT department of a university in the capital. To support the collaborative investigation of local problems and participatory design of solutions, Professor A has appointed Dr C, a member of staff from the University, who is conducting the primary field work. Reading Dr C’s reports from the field, Professor A is concerned that Dr C’s participatory sessions may not be including and enabling sufficient input from women in the villages. Discussing the issues, Dr C says that he is working very hard to include the voices of women. However, from informal conversations Professor A knows that Dr C’s religious & social background suggests it is natural and appropriate for men & women to have very different roles, with women’s role being less autonomous.
- What should Professor A do?
- What might she have done differently to avoid this situation?
- What are the ethics, roles & relationships relevant to this situation?
- What other questions do we need to ask about this scenario?
