Sociologists argue that women, on average, earn less than men as women often choose to work fewer hours. They further suggest that the choice of hours worked may be driven by various factors such as age, childcare needs, occupation choice, and flexibility. To investigate the relationship between hours worked and income earned by Australian men and women, a researcher plans to survey a sample of individuals across the country.
a) What type of survey method could the researcher use and why? (2 marks)
b) What sampling method could the researcher use to select his/her sample and why? (2 marks)
c) What are the two main variables the researcher should consider collecting data for the purpose of the above analysis and why? Identify the data type(s) for the variables. (2 marks)
d) What kind of issues may the researcher face in this data collection? (2 marks)