Whose life is it anyway?

In this article, I discuss the way in which I am using reflection as an integral part of my research into the experiences of Jewish women teachers of European descent in non-denominational secondary schools in England. I acknowledge that through reflection on my role as a researcher I am learning and developing as the research proceeds and I use adaptations of the Johari Window (The Open University, 1995) to analyse the nature of the interviews for myself and the participants both in terms of our personal engagement in the process and the process itself. The second half of the article considers ways in which the interview process could be seen to be affecting both my own life and that of the participants. I deal with several issues which are concerning me as indicated by the title. I explore whose life is being researched—mine or my informants—and the issues concerning the implications for me as a feminist insider-researcher making use of (some would say exploiting) other people's lives, words and experiences.