Feminism is a perspective and not a research method, which means that there are multiple ways to approach the study of women (Reinharz, 1992). However, a central focus of feminist empiricism, standpoint epistemology, and postmodern methodologies is that women's lives matter and must understand women from their perspective and in context (O'Donnell, 1985, in Reinharz, 1992). Feminist methodologies all share a dedication to shifting focus from the male perspective to incorporating both men and women to advance knowledge (DeVault, 1996). Research on women, therefore, but also for women. It aims to identify different intelligences, different ways of knowing and giving voice to silent voices (DeVault, 1996). Feminist methodologies have opened society's eyes to a new and innovative way of conducting research and have influenced other fields and the way research is formulated. He also challenged social norms by questioning patriarchy and traditional notions. Feminist methodologies are not a dominant research approach (Kirkman, 2011). A lack of orthodoxy means that there is no single definition of feminism; therefore, there is no objective method for conducting social research (Kirkman, 2011). This is demonstrated in criminology, where numerous feminist critiques outline the criminal victimization of women (Morris, 1987; Gelsthorpe & Morris, 1988, in Walters & Bradley, 2005). The different approaches of feminist research are based on the fact that people differ depending on their political or ideological orientation. Some advocate interpretive methods such as qualitative analysis, others maintain the traditional positivist approach of quantitative methods, while others combine the two (Reinharz, 1992). However, all feminist... at the heart of the paper... foundations of society and culture. Australia: McGraw-Hill Custom Publications.McLaughlin, J. (2003). Feminist social and political theory: Contemporary debates and dialogues. Hampshire, Great Britain: Palgrave Macmillan.Nanda, S. (1998). Organize a wedding in India. In P. DeVita (Ed.), Stumbling toward the truth: Anthropologists at work (pp. 196-204). Illinois, USA: Waveland Press. Reinharz, S. (1992). Feminist methods in social research. New York: Oxford University Press. Schell, E., & Rawson, K. (Eds.). (2010). Rhetoric in motion: Feminist rhetorical methods and methodologies. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press. Skeggs, B (ed.). (1995). Feminist cultural theory: Process and production. Manchester, England: Manchester University Press. Walters, R., & Bradley, T. (2005). Introduction to criminological thought. Auckland, New Zealand: Pearson Education.