Why have feminists been critical of conventional approaches to social research?

During the last couple of decades, feminist critique of conventional approaches to social research has been continuously developing and expanding. Many believe that Helen Roberts 1981 book Doing Feminism Research which highlighted many of the problems with conventional research methods was the initial fuel for this movement. It seemed for the first time this book showed the world that feminism was an intellectual study, and questioned the methodical accuracy of the personal accounts used in the book. It demonstrated that research is not a linear process, as is often implied in the polished descriptions published from completed studies (Maynard and Purvis, p1)….(short extract)