Information and Consent Form
Title of the study: The Gender Pressure Study
Principal Investigator:
Rhea Ashley Hoskin, PhD
Department of Sociology & Legal Studies, University of Waterloo,
gender.experiences@gmail.com
Student Investigator:
Melanie Gunn, Honours Student
Department of Psychology, Acadia University
To help you make an informed decision regarding your participation, this letter will explain what the study is about, the possible risks and benefits, and your rights as a research participant. If you do not understand something in the letter, please ask for clarification prior to consenting to the study. Please print/save a copy of this letter for your records.
Invitation to Participate
You are invited to participate in a research study exploring women’s experiences of “gender pressure” or “gender policing” (e,g, pressure to be less feminine, more feminine, less masculine, and more masculine). The purpose of this study is to explore the different aspects of gender pressure and gender policing experienced by women. This study will help us to understand gender-based discrimination experienced by women and aims to contribute to the development of bias intervention and training, harassment and inclusion policies.
I. Your Responsibilities as a Participant
What does participation involve?
Your participation in this study involves doing an online survey hosted on a secure website and server. The survey will ask for your demographic information, and a series of questions on your experiences of masculinity or femininity, gender-based discrimination and gender role beliefs. The survey should take 45-60 minutes to complete. You may withdraw from the survey at any time by simply closing your browser. As the survey is anonymous, you will not be able to withdraw your data.
Who may participate in the study?
In order to participate in this study you must be a woman (including transgender, cisgender, and nonbinary women), and be aged 18 and older. Further, you must have access to the Internet, and be able to read and write in English. All relationship types, and sexualities are welcomed.
II. Your Rights as a Participant
Is participation in the study voluntary?
Your participation in this study is voluntary. You are free to stop taking part in the project at any time. You can withdraw by closing the browser. There will be no penalty to you if you choose to stop your participation in the research or if you choose to not answer a question.
What are the possible benefits of the study?
There is no direct benefit to you from taking part in this study. The information gathered in the study will potentially help to increase knowledge about women’s experiences of gender pressure and gender policing, as well as gender-based discrimination.
Once all the data are collected and analyzed for this project, this information will be shared with the research community through seminars, conferences, presentations, and journal articles.
What are the risks associated with the study?
Given the study focus on gender-based discrimination and gender role beliefs, and the kinds of questions that will be asked, it is possible that some participants may feel upset. If you feel upset, you may skip questions, or stop the survey entirely at any time. At the end of the survey, you will be provided with a list of accessible support resources.
Will my identity be known?
Your participation will be kept confidential. At no time will identifying information be connected to the data. If you provide your email addresses for the prize draw, it will be collected using a separate survey, and stored separately from the survey data.
When information is transmitted or stored on the internet privacy cannot be guaranteed. There is always a risk your responses may be intercepted by a third party (e.g., government agencies, hackers). As well, any data sent electronically or stored online may be legally accessed by domestic or foreign authorities. Alchemer temporarily collects your Alchemer ID and computer IP address to avoid duplicate responses in the dataset but will not collect information that could identify you personally.
Your employer may have legal access to any information sent using employer-owned equipment. You may therefore wish to use your own equipment when communicating with the researchers and completing the survey.
Will my information be kept confidential?
Your involvement as a part of this study is strictly confidential. The researcher will take all reasonable measures to protect the confidentiality of your records. All identifying information (e.g., email addresses) you provide will be kept confidential, and collected separately from survey data to ensure anonymity. With your permission, anonymous quotations from your survey may be used in papers and publications resulting from this study. All data will be stored on a secure computer and only research personnel will have access to the data. Any contact information provided during the survey will be stored in a password protected encrypted file, and will only be used to contact you with information about your participation in this study. At the completion of the study, your contact information will be purged. At no time will your name or email address be connected to the data you provide, as you will be identified to the researchers by email address only. The data obtained from this study will be kept for a minimum of 7 years for future use in related studies. We do plan to publish the results of this research but all findings will be reported as averages across many participants. Should direct quotes be used in any publications, they will be selected for their ability to generalize across the experiences of participants and no quotes will be used that could identify a specific participant. No subject identifying information will be published.
Will I receive anything for participating in the study?
In appreciation of the time you have given to this study, you can enter your name into a draw for 1 of 4 $100 Amazon Gift Cards (or alternative). Your odds of winning the prize is based on the number of individuals who participate in the study. We expect that approximately 500 individuals will take part in the study. Information collected to draw for the prize will not be linked to the study data in any way, and this identifying information will be stored separately, then destroyed after the prize has been provided. The amount received is taxable. It is your responsibility to report this amount for income tax purposes.
III. Questions, comments, or concerns
Who is sponsoring/funding this study?
This study is funded/sponsored by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council, The Ontario Women’s Health Scholars Award, which is funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, and the AMTD program.
Has the study received ethics clearance?
This study has been reviewed and received ethics clearance through a University of Waterloo Research Ethics Board (REB #43713). If you have questions for the Board contact the Office of Research Ethics, at 1-519-888-4567 ext. 36005 or reb@uwaterloo.ca.
Who should I contact if I have questions regarding my participation in the study?
If you have any questions regarding this study or would like additional information to assist you in reaching a decision about participation, please contact Rhea Ashley Hoskin at 519-884-8111 or by email at gender.experiences@gmail.com
Consent Form
By providing your consent, you are not waiving your legal rights or releasing the investigators or involved institution(s) from their legal and professional responsibilities.
Gender Pressure:
I have read the information presented in the information letter about a study conducted by Rhea Ashley Hoskin in the Department of Sociology and Legal Studies at the University of Waterloo, Canada. I have had the opportunity to ask questions related to the study and have received satisfactory answers to my questions and any additional details.
I was informed that participation in the study is voluntary and that I can withdraw this consent by informing one of the researchers.
This study has been reviewed and received ethics clearance through a University of Waterloo Research Ethics Board (REB #43713) and Acadia University Ethics Board. If you have questions for the University of Waterloo Board contact the Office of Research Ethics, at 1-519-888-4567 ext. 36005 or reb@uwaterloo.ca.
This study has also been reviewed and received ethics clearance through an Acadia University Research Ethics Board. If you have any questions for the Board contact the Research Ethics Board Chair, Dr. Stephen Maitzen, at smaitzen@acadiau.ca.
For all other questions contact Rhea Ashley Hoskin, Department of Sociology & Legal Studies, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave West, Waterloo, ON, Canada, N2L 3G1, gender.experiences@gmail.com, 519-884-8111
CONSENT: By clicking on the consent button, you are agreeing to participate in this study. Research participation is voluntary and even by consenting now you may reconsider your involvement at any time and decline to continue participating. You may print this form for your records. Please ensure that all questions and concerns regarding this research as well as what you are being asked to do have been addressed and completely understood. You can contact a member of the research team at any time or if you have a question after participation has been completed.
