Official statistics
Practical (Advantages & Disadvantages) Ethical issues Theoretical (Advantages & Disadvantages)
Free source of data- May not be statistics Feminists - argue that official Representative- they cover very Validity- soft statistics lack validity
large scale, would available- collected for
statistics treat women in a large numbers and because cat e.g. police don't record all crimes
otherwise cost the organisation not subordinate way. Imposes is taken with sampling and the public don't report all
millions to collect. for sociologists may researchers categories on women procedures, they often provide crimes or in educational statistics
Only the government not have stats and show signs of patriarchy. a more representative sample don't record all racist incidents. So,
has power to require available on subject of Invalid picture of women's than surveys conducted with victim surveys are more valid data.
people to provide interest. experiences. Mirror the limited resources available
information. subordination in wider society. to sociologists. Hard statistics
Must look at women in the are more reliable than soft
context of power relationships statistics.
Allows comparisons- Different definitions that oppress them. Impossible for Reliability- they're come Marxists- the state is not neutral
between groups and differ between women to express their compiled in a standardised way but serves the interest of the
over-time. organisations and experiences in statistics. Also, by trained staff following set capitalist class. Statistics reflect
researcher e.g. prior to 2001, household procedures e.g. occupation ruling class ideology.
absolute poverty vs occupation only looked at the recorded in the same way and Unemployment statistics are a
relative poverty. male head of the house. all death certificates which can good example of how facts reflect
be used to identify class. ruling class ideology by changing
the definitions lowers the numbers
that fall into this category. Official
police statistics will underestimate
the number of people taking part
in demonstrations against the
government.
Trends and patterns- Comparisons are Confidentiality and privacy must Positivists- official statistics Interpretivists- argue that official
collected at regular difficult if definitions be careful that there are no allow for hypothesis testing via statistics lack validity as they are
intervals. Can also change overtime – e.g. abuses of trust when publishing. applying statistics to see merely a representation someone
compare data before unemployment Must be assurances that correlations and drawing else decisions. Therefore, we need
and after government changed 30 times respondents are not having their conclusions. to look at how statistics are socially
policies introduced. between the 1980s data used for other reasons which constructed. So, Atkinson used
and 90s. they may have not given consent observations in courts to see how
for. Although the data has already coroners made their decisions.
been collected consent may need
to be gained.
Practical (Advantages & Disadvantages) Ethical issues Theoretical (Advantages & Disadvantages)
Free source of data- May not be statistics Feminists - argue that official Representative- they cover very Validity- soft statistics lack validity
large scale, would available- collected for
statistics treat women in a large numbers and because cat e.g. police don't record all crimes
otherwise cost the organisation not subordinate way. Imposes is taken with sampling and the public don't report all
millions to collect. for sociologists may researchers categories on women procedures, they often provide crimes or in educational statistics
Only the government not have stats and show signs of patriarchy. a more representative sample don't record all racist incidents. So,
has power to require available on subject of Invalid picture of women's than surveys conducted with victim surveys are more valid data.
people to provide interest. experiences. Mirror the limited resources available
information. subordination in wider society. to sociologists. Hard statistics
Must look at women in the are more reliable than soft
context of power relationships statistics.
Allows comparisons- Different definitions that oppress them. Impossible for Reliability- they're come Marxists- the state is not neutral
between groups and differ between women to express their compiled in a standardised way but serves the interest of the
over-time. organisations and experiences in statistics. Also, by trained staff following set capitalist class. Statistics reflect
researcher e.g. prior to 2001, household procedures e.g. occupation ruling class ideology.
absolute poverty vs occupation only looked at the recorded in the same way and Unemployment statistics are a
relative poverty. male head of the house. all death certificates which can good example of how facts reflect
be used to identify class. ruling class ideology by changing
the definitions lowers the numbers
that fall into this category. Official
police statistics will underestimate
the number of people taking part
in demonstrations against the
government.
Trends and patterns- Comparisons are Confidentiality and privacy must Positivists- official statistics Interpretivists- argue that official
collected at regular difficult if definitions be careful that there are no allow for hypothesis testing via statistics lack validity as they are
intervals. Can also change overtime – e.g. abuses of trust when publishing. applying statistics to see merely a representation someone
compare data before unemployment Must be assurances that correlations and drawing else decisions. Therefore, we need
and after government changed 30 times respondents are not having their conclusions. to look at how statistics are socially
policies introduced. between the 1980s data used for other reasons which constructed. So, Atkinson used
and 90s. they may have not given consent observations in courts to see how
for. Although the data has already coroners made their decisions.
been collected consent may need
to be gained.
