Editor's note: Rebecca Day is the director of RIVA Market Research's Richmond, Va., division.
Less than eight years ago, attendance at Qualitative Research Consultants Association (QRCA) meetings was largely female. However, each year more males are joining QRCA and attending the national conference. The most recent national QRCA membership directory still has a majority of women, but approximately 38% of the members are men.
The increasing availability of moderators of both genders and of many racial/ethnic backgrounds should make it easier for market researchers to match the moderator to the group. At least some topics call for focus groups that are either gender- or race-specific, or require listening for differences or similarities among specific types of participants. Market researchers often think in terms of conducting all-male groups and all-female groups, as well as all-black and all-white groups. Yet constraints of time, geography and budget often lead researchers to sacrifice listening to certain segments of the population.
There seems to be a direct relationship between the increase in restraints (particularly budgetary) loaded onto a project, and the decrease in sensitivity in matching the moderator to the group.
Matching . . .
There are no fixed guidelines for matching race or ethnic background, nor are there set rules for matching gender to the group. Our firm has two male and two female moderators, and all of us have moderated groups of opposite gender. We obviously don't live in a perfect world, but under certain circumstances, we do try to gender-match the moderator to the participants.
Historically, there have been some preconceptions about matching the gender of the moderator to the group. Some of those preconceptions are no longer valid (such as females being unable to moderate groups of male executives), but there are certainly some logical considerations that affect the outcome of the project.
First, if the topic is sexually sensitive (discussing any body part or function), there is a better chance that a moderator who is the same gender as the participants will hear more candid responses. At the very least, the trust and rapport that must develop between respondents and moderator will probably occur faster if there is no gender difference to overcome.
... and mixing
I'm not suggesting that a moderator who isn't gender-matched to the participants can't get great information, however. We know a female colleague who has moderated dozens of all-male groups on prostate cancer, and a male colleague who has moderated women's groups on breast cancer. In such cases, factors that make these groups successful include the moderator's skill, huge doses of unconditional positive regard for the participants, and, to some degree, a group of participants willing to share intimate details about their lives in front of strangers. We know that as moderators our job is to make everyone feel comfortable enough to share their deepest secrets with a roomful of strangers, but let's face it: There are some groups that will talk openly about anything, and there are others that won't tell you any more than name, rank and serial number.
Another situation that might warrant gender matching the moderator is when a "good old boy" (and less often, a "good old girl") network is known to exist among select groups of participants. Examples might be participants from all-male clubs, single-sex schools, or certain groups of professionals who form very close-knit cliques. We have witnessed a male moderator explore some potentially sensitive issues with a group of high-powered decision makers in the health care field. It is quite possible that those participants would have been less forthcoming in a group discussion if a woman had been moderating.
Experience as well as gender
Some researchers believe that female moderators are better at conducting groups with children. The theory is that women are more likely to be associated with "mommy" traits and children will be more forthcoming with their responses. With the increase in single parents (males and females) and shared child care, the images about which sex is better at parenting (and talking with children) are blurring. It is more important to choose a moderator who is comfortable with children and knows that such groups require special skills and techniques. None of the moderators in our firm has children and our "rule" is to avoid conducting groups among people who aren't old enough to drive. Here the choice of matching the moderator should be based on experience rather than gender.
We don't believe the moderator's gender is critical to project outcome if a product or service is considered to be gender-specific. In many cases, we have noticed that a female moderating a group about a topic that is considered traditionally male tends to get more complete responses because the (male) participants feel somewhat compelled to "explain things." With a male moderator they tend to believe that he knows what they are talking about. We have seen this same principle hold true for a male (without children) who moderated a group of mothers on the topic of children's hospital emergency rooms. The females didn't shortcut answers or assume he knew what they were talking about.
Some rough guidelines
When all factors are considered and the project must begin, the choice of the moderator is critical. Here are some guidelines to match the moderator to the group.
1) When the topic is sexually sensitive, match the gender of the moderator to the gender of the group.
2) When the first guideline can't be followed, hire a moderator who has had a wide range of successful experiences conducting groups where nothing matched. A good moderator who is "mismatched" is better on any project than an inexperienced, but "matched" moderator.