door.donau-uni.ac.at o:6276 DOI 10.48341/rsay-g144 Manual for Interviewing Women in Urban Informal Settlements and Slums This manual is designed to guide researchers who are determined to conduct qualitative interviews with women in African countries and other developing countries, especially those living in informal settlements, peri-urban neighbourhoods, and urban slums. It provides practical, ethical, and methodological guidance tailored to low-resource and socially complex environments where women’s experiences are often shaped by poverty, informality, gender inequality, limited access to services, and vulnerability to economic and environmental shocks. The manual supports researchers in planning, implementing, and documenting interviews in culturally sensitive, gender-responsive, and ethically sound manners. It addresses key considerations, including community entry, informed consent in low-literacy settings, safeguarding and confidentiality, power dynamics between researchers and participants, and strategies for building trust. It also offers guidance on adapting interview techniques to diverse contexts, including multilingual environments and subcultural settings. Attention is given to engaging women whose voices are frequently underrepresented in formal research processes, such as informal workers, female heads of households, young mothers, and women with limited mobility or education. The manual emphasizes respectful listening, trauma-informed approaches, and reflexivity among researchers to ensure that women's lived experiences are accurately and responsibly captured. It can also serve as a practical training resource for postgraduate students (MA and PhD candidates) who plan to conduct field-based research with women living in low-income and informal settlement settings. By offering clear methodological guidance and context-sensitive interview strategies, it helps emerging researchers build the skills needed to engage respectfully and rigorously with marginalized segments of the population. In essence, this manual aims to inspire and support high-quality qualitative research by strengthening methodological rigor, enhancing data depth and reliability, and increasing the trustworthiness of research findings. It promotes critical reflection on research ethics, power dynamics, and the responsibilities of researchers working with marginalized communities. Additionally, it provides practical guidance on navigating the complex realities of fieldwork in slums and informal settlements, including ensuring participant safety and responding to unforeseen challenges in resource-limited, socially dynamic urban informal and slum environments. eng Qualitative Research Interview Data Analysis Research Ethics Social Sciences Urban Research Women Guide 2026-04-30T13:19:09.447Z LOMv1.0 Editor BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Huber;Elisabeth; FN:Elisabeth Huber X-ORCID:https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4084-4315 END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Italemahu;Tesfaye Zeleke; FN:Tesfaye Zeleke Italemahu X-ORCID:https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6377-6787 END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Kibret;Fitsum Dechasa; FN:Fitsum Dechasa Kibret X-ORCID:https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1410-0849 END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Fojo;Gudina Abashula; FN:Gudina Abashula Fojo X-ORCID:https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9522-3236 END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Berger;Tania; FN:Tania Berger X-ORCID:https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2932-0262 END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Abdulkadir;Mubarek Kedir; FN:Mubarek Kedir Abdulkadir X-ORCID:https://orcid.org/0009-0000-3124-8007 END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Nedessa;Kumela Gudeta; FN:Kumela Gudeta Nedessa X-ORCID:https://orcid.org/0009-0001-3403-9240 END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Tegegne;Atsede Desta; FN:Atsede Desta Tegegne X-ORCID:https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0882-2485 END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Negese;Daniel Semunugus; FN:Daniel Semunugus Negese X-ORCID:https://orcid.org/0009-0000-9618-2790 END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:de Amurane;António Manuel; FN:António Manuel de Amurane X-ORCID:https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7643-5997 END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Mucufo;Jaibo Rassul; FN:Jaibo Rassul Mucufo X-ORCID:https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1898-9286 END:VCARD https://w3id.org/kim/hcrt/scheme https://w3id.org/kim/hcrt/text Textdokument Text LOMv1.0 yes https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0 application/pdf 10072855 https://door.donau-uni.ac.at/o:6276 https://door.donau-uni.ac.at/api/object/o:6276/thumbnail LOMv1.0 discipline