• Interview two women and two men from within your organisation who are in different areas from you.
• The purpose is for you to understand better what the different experiences are of women and men in your organisation.
• It should also improve understanding of the subtle ways in which gender and gender stereotypes impact on organisational life.
• Consider how to establish a safe environment for the person. In other words, what can you do to help increase their willingness to talk? You will also need to inform them that you will be reporting a summary of the interview and that you will maintain their confidentiality.
• Begin by explaining the purpose of the interview and by informing the person why you have chosen them to interview.

Beginning interview questions:

1. What has been your experience as a man/woman in your organisation?
2. Has anything ever happened to you in your organisation that has caused you to feel uncomfortable? If they answer yes: Could you explain what happened and how you felt?
3. How have you handled these types of situations?
4. Is there any difference between the type of conversation and behaviour you engage in at home and what you feel comfortable in talking about and behaving at work?
   
   In addition to capturing the interviewee’s responses, ask yourself:

“What, if anything, surprised me about this conversation?”
“What was my personal level of comfort while I was conducting it?”
“What did I learn?”
“What additional questions did this interview raise for me?”

Facilitator’s notes for processing if you are doing this within a group.

• Divide the team or department into three or four small groups (two or three people in each) and ask them to discuss (for 15 minutes) their interview findings in terms of:

1. What were their major findings in terms of:
   a) The impact that gender has on the individual’s experience in the organisation;
   b) The impact that gender issues have on the organisation;
   c) What, if anything, were their major surprises.

2. How did the interview process impact on you? What did you learn about yourself?

• Go around each group in turn as ask them to share the highlights of their conversations about the interview outcomes. Emphasise the need to maintain confidentiality.

• Summarise the important learnings on a white board or flip chart.

• Discuss: What are the implications for our organisation?

Also see:

1. Sample Gender Interview 1

2. Sample Gender Interview 2