CHANGING WOMENS LIVES - A COMMUNICATION PERSPECTIVE ON PARTICIPATORY QUALITATIVE RESEARCH TECHNIQUES FOR GENDER EQUITY

In this paper, we first describe Participatory Rapid Appraisal (PRA), a group of qualitative research techniques that have the potential to raise the status pf women, particularly when carried out with all memb ers of a community. We then present the traditional formative evaluati on research methods such as focus groups and central location intercep t interviews and discuss their use. We critically analyze the assumpti ons about information and audiences that underlie these traditional me thod, and then explain PRA techniques, the principles that govern thei r use as well as limitations to date vis-a-vis gender, followed by sev eral examples. The paper concludes by illustrating how PRA can tie use d from a communications perspective for gender equity in developing co untries.