Using a Feminist Approach to Classify Women and Girls' Charitable Organisations

Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• Feminist Studies
• Charity Sector Analysis

Background:

• Women and Girls' Organisations (WGOs) are vital to the voluntary and community sector (VCS) and society.
• Existing analyses of the VCS using Charity Commission for England and Wales (CCEW) data have not specifically focused on WGOs.
• WGOs have a unique history and development within the broader VCS.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a feminist approach for identifying and classifying WGOs using CCEW data.
• To explore the methodological advantages of this feminist approach in analysing datasets.
• To reveal power dynamics and areas of contestation within the sector.

Main Methods:

• Utilising data from the Charity Commission for England and Wales (CCEW) register.
• Applying a feminist methodology for classification and identification of WGOs.
• Compiling and analysing datasets to provide an overview of WGOs' scope.

Main Results:

• An original overview of the scope of WGOs in England and Wales between 2008 and 2018.
• Demonstration of the necessity and advantages of a feminist approach in data analysis.
• Identification of previously unexamined aspects of the VCS.

Conclusions:

• A feminist approach is advantageous for classifying and analysing WGOs within the CCEW dataset.
• This methodology can expose power structures and areas of contestation.
• The approach offers benefits for future classification work in the field.