Why Is Intersectionality Important?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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Intersectionality provides a lens through which we can examine the processes, practices, policies, and structures that increase the

risk of students experiencing disadvantage or discrimination

because of their intersecting identities.

Why is intersectionality an important concept for the feminist movement?

It means

that women cannot separate out numerous injustices because women experience them intersectionally

. Intersectionality helps us to understand that while all women are subject to the wage gap, some women are affected even more harshly due to their race.

Why is intersectionality important to feminism?

Intersectionality

broadens the lens of the first and second waves of feminism

, which largely focused on the experiences of women who were both white and middle-class, to include the different experiences of women of color, women who are poor, immigrant women, and other groups.

What does intersectionality mean in feminism?

Put simply, intersectionality shows

how a feminism that focuses on women

– without also addressing the fact that women come from different classes, and are marked by differences in ethnicity, sexuality, ability and more – favours the needs of those who are white, middle-class, heterosexual and able bodied.

What is the concept of intersectionality?

More explicitly, the Oxford Dictionary defines intersectionality as “

the interconnected nature of social categorisations such as race, class, and gender, regarded as creating overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage

”.

How does intersectionality impact our lives?

– intersect and affect our lived experiences. Intersectionality is a term

used to help us understand how multiple forms of overlapping oppressions

– shaped by sexism, racism, poverty, homophobia and other forms of discrimination and violence – affect our lives in nuanced and context-specific ways.

What are examples of intersectionality?

Intersectionality identifies multiple factors of advantage and disadvantage. Examples of these factors include

gender, caste, sex, race, class, sexuality, religion, disability, physical appearance, and height

. These intersecting and overlapping social identities may be both empowering and oppressing.

What does intersectionality mean to social movements?

Broadly defined, intersectionality is

the idea that disadvantage is conditioned by multiple interacting systems of oppression

. When racism and sexism interact —in the experience of women of color, for instance— the disadvantages produced are different than the disadvantages produced by racism and sexism on their own.

What is intersectionality in your own words?

Intersectionality is

a framework for conceptualizing a person, group of people, or social problem as affected by a number of discriminations and disadvantages

. It takes into account people’s overlapping identities and experiences in order to understand the complexity of prejudices they face.

How do you talk about intersectionality?

To address intersectionality in a paper,

identify individuals’ relevant characteristics and group memberships

(e.g., ability and/or disability status, age, gender, gender identity, generation, historical as well as ongoing experiences of marginalization, immigrant status, language, national origin, race and/or …

How did Intersectional feminism start?

Kimberlé Crenshaw, an American law professor who coined the term in 1989 explained Intersectional feminism as, “

a prism for seeing the way in which various forms of inequality often operate together and exacerbate each other

,” in a recent interview with Time.

What does feminism stand for?

At its core, feminism is the

belief in full social, economic, and political equality for women

. Feminism largely arose in response to Western traditions that restricted the rights of women, but feminist thought has global manifestations and variations.

Why is intersectionality important in the workplace?

An intersectional approach to workplace equality creates allyship and structural change where women who succeed have the ability to pull up other groups behind them. Intersectionality

eliminates the competitive mentality where advancements for one minority group hurts another

.

Why is intersectionality important in healthcare?

An intersectionality approach is

supportive of rights and justice based approaches to health and health care

. It can lead to precise insights about who is involved in and affected by policies or interventions in different settings, thus allowing for more targeted and effective policies (Hankivsky and Cormier, 2011).

How can we use intersectionality?

Taking an intersectional approach allows

social justice leaders to focus on solutions informed by the experiences and voices of these women

; engages and activates new audiences in ways that resonate with their experiences and values; and supports and uplifts the voices of these women within alliances, at town halls, …

How does intersectionality affect identity?

Summing up Crenshaw’s theory, intersectional identities

create differences in people’s positionality

— that is, social locations and perceptions— within society.

Amira Khan
Author
Amira Khan
Amira Khan is a philosopher and scholar of religion with a Ph.D. in philosophy and theology. Amira's expertise includes the history of philosophy and religion, ethics, and the philosophy of science. She is passionate about helping readers navigate complex philosophical and religious concepts in a clear and accessible way.