Investigating the 'gender critical' influence on policymaking in the UK through a novel methodology in interpretive policy analysis

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This application sets out a programme of work which will allow me to study 'gender critical' advocacy through the lens of interpretive policy analysis (IPA) and field theory (Bourdieu, 1984, 1996) to better understand policymaking in the UK. By 'gender critical', I refer to the set of discourses deployed by thosewho seek to limit trans rights or resist gender self-identification on the basis of an essentialist understanding of sex/gender. A key contribution of my PhD was to show how policy could be studied by focusing on the everyday practices of policy actors, who operate with their own aims and preconceptions,within particular structural constraints.For my PhD I developed an innovative pairing of IPA and field theory to demonstrate that a practice-based approach can bring valuable insights. Although some scholars in IPA have explored practice (Wagenaar and Cook, 2003; Behagel et al., 2017; Bartels, 2018), and others have noted similarities between field theory and IPA (Fligstein and McAdam, 2012; Brenninkmeijer, 2018), these approaches had not been deployed together. Doing so enabled me to explore macro and micro influences on policy change, and show how actors create policy in the context of a specific set of macro-cultural influences.I am a fluent and reflexive qualitative researcher, and I approach data generation and analysis with confidence and curiosity. As an expert in the methodology I developed, I am in a unique position to bring it to an urgent area of policy change, that of the 'gender critical' influence on policymaking in the UK. In so doing, I will continue to enrich the tradition of IPA with my methodological contributions, and provide much needed insight into concerning changes in policy in the UK relating to trans inclusion.Individuals who may define as 'gender critical' frequently indicate that they feel silenced, and appear to be a minority voice. Nevertheless, some arguments appear to be influencing policymaking in the UK. For example, in December 2022 the Scottish Government passed a Bill simplifying the process of obtaining aGender Recognition Certificate (GRC), but it was blocked by the UK government (Sim, 2023). This happened in spite of the Bill having been consulted on twice, both times finding a majority of respondents in favour ofthe changes (Scottish Government, 2023), and a poll in which 57 per cent of Scottish people surveyed agreed that it should be easier to get a GRC. It is this puzzle that I plan to create the conditions to research during the ESRC postdoctoral fellowship.The proposed programme of work is designed to generate societal impact and to form a crucial step in my career trajectory. These aims are entwined, as I am committed to pursuing research which contributes to a greater understanding of issues with relevance to policy, and leads to positive, considered policymaking. I am personally motivated by this topic, and intend to remain close to the issue on a long-term basis. The fellowship will give me the tools and capacity to design and pilot a research project investigating 'gender critical' discourse from an IPA perspective. This is likely to be small-scale, qualitative, and to incorporate the perspectives of those who engage in 'gender critical' advocacy.Being based at the Brighton Centre for Transforming Sexuality and Gender would give me the opportunity to deepen my understanding of the prevailing discourse surrounding the issue in a gender inclusive research environment with expertise across LGBTQ+ research and gender and citizen rights. The workplan is designed to pave a trajectory from my position post-PhD to one I intend to occupy as an established academic. I finish my PhD an expert in practice-based approaches to IPA with an orientation to issues relating to sexual harm. I plan to retain the methodological expertise, entrench myself in the discipline of IPA and establish myself in gender studies, fostering an expertise on gender inclusive policymaking.