ABSTRACT
Over the last 20 years I have been involved more or less continuously in the sociology of education. During this period of time my perspective, research ideas and methods have all changed dramatically. In this chapter, I would like to try to account for this radical change of emphasis. I want to argue that the reasons I have moved from doing statistical and empirical research to more policy-oriented and theoretical work are not only a growing ‘maturity’ but also broader ‘political’ reasons. The changes came about, first, as I moved from a research-based academic position to a teaching post in an academic social policy setting; second, with a growing commitment to academic women's studies and explicitly feminist research; third, as a result of previous research experiences and a gradual disillusionment with quantitative methods; and fourth, ‘senescence’, (the theory that old age brings with it conservative political views) although I now feel ready to return to more empirical research, albeit from a feminist perspective.
