Feminist Empiricism as a Method for Inquiry in Nursing

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Abstract
Feminist empiricism may provide a valuable approach for the acquisition, evaluation, and integration of biological knowledge in nursing epistemologies. This article discusses feminist empiricism as a methodfor inquiry in nursing. Proponents offeminist empiricism strive to work within the current political, social, and scientific structures while acknowledging that all three of these structures must change if less distorted epistemologies are to emerge. Hypertension in women is used to illustrate howfeminist empiricism could be used to modify the traditional scientific approach. The argument is made that the and rocentricism of the traditional scientific approach must be changed in order to include the problematics of women. Moreover, women must have a central role in determining the problematics of both health and illness in women. A philosophical stance embracing holism cannot deny biologicalphenomena orpreclude research on these phenomena Theorists and scientists in nursing have a unique opportunity to reconceptualize biological phenomena, from a holistic perspective, in the development of epistemologies for nursing. An argument for the use of basic research as a quantitative methodology, from a feminist perspective, is made. The appropriateness, for nursing, of basic research methodologies to generate knowledge about biological processes, which are within nursing s scientific domain, are discussed.