ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses how power differences are expressed in interview situations between academics and societal elites from a gender perspective. Finland, one of the Nordic countries, typically represents a country where gender equality is considered to be high and hierarchies low. Despite these points, different kind of power hierarchies can come into play in interview interactions, including societal positions and fields of expertise, intertwined with the question of gender. These power dynamics also involve emotions that have an effect on the research process as well as the outcome. In the present chapter, the writer reflects on her own experiences as a female interviewer in a familiar cultural setting, becoming conscious of the nuances of interacting with male respondents in powerful positions. The power gap, and its sometimes negative implications raising emotions related to fear, are a central focus in the chapter, and the writer discusses the possibilities of communicating authentically.
