"Intersectionality is an analytical framework for understanding how a person's various social and political identities combine to create different modes of discrimination and privilege."
An examination of the ways in which gender and sexuality intersect with other social categories to shape experiences and identities.
Gender identity: Gender identity refers to an individual's deeply-felt sense of their own gender, which may or may not align with the sex they were assigned at birth.
Sex and gender: The topic of sex and gender in Gender and Sexuality Studies investigates the biological and socially constructed aspects that shape individuals' identities and experiences as male, female, or non-binary.
Body image and beauty standards: Body image and beauty standards in the field of Gender and Sexuality Studies refer to the cultural ideals and perceptions surrounding physical appearance, beauty, and body shape, and their impact on individuals' self-perception and social interactions.
Sexual orientation: Sexual orientation refers to an individual's enduring emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attraction toward others, based on their gender in relation to their own.
Gender expression: Gender expression refers to the external manifestation of one's gender identity, encompassing behaviors, appearance, clothing, and other attributes that can be perceived and interpreted by others.
Transgender rights and issues: Transgender rights and issues involve advocating for the recognition and affirmation of the rights, identities, and experiences of individuals whose gender identity does not align with the sex assigned to them at birth, and addressing the myriad challenges they face in various social, legal, and healthcare contexts.
Feminism and its history: Feminism is a social and political movement advocating for gender equality and women's rights, which emerged in the late 19th century and continues to evolve today.
Sexism and misogyny: Sexism refers to the prejudiced attitudes and discriminatory actions based on gender, while misogyny specifically targets and perpetuates hatred and contempt towards women.
Patriarchy and its effects: Patriarchy in Gender and Sexuality Studies refers to a hierarchical system that privileges male power and influences societal structures, leading to oppressions and inequalities based on gender.
Queer theory and concepts: Queer theory and concepts examine and challenge fixed categories of gender and sexuality, questioning normative assumptions and exploring the fluid and intersectional nature of identities, experiences, and power dynamics.
LGBTQ+ activism and rights: LGBTQ+ activism and rights involves the advocacy and promotion of equal rights, acceptance, and social justice for individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other diverse sexual orientations and gender identities.
Intersectionality and its importance: Intersectionality refers to the interconnectedness and overlapping of various social identities, experiences, and systems of oppression, highlighting the importance of acknowledging and understanding multiple dimensions of identity for a comprehensive analysis of gender and sexuality.
Reproductive rights and health: Reproductive rights and health explore issues related to individuals' autonomy, equality, and access to healthcare, information, and services concerning reproductive choices, pregnancy, contraception, and abortion.
Rape culture and sexual violence: Rape culture and sexual violence examine the pervasive societal attitudes, norms, and practices that trivialize or normalize sexual violence, with a focus on understanding and combating its systemic roots and impact.
Toxic masculinity: Toxic masculinity refers to harmful societal expectations and behaviors often associated with traditional notions of masculinity that perpetuate sexism, aggression, dominance, and the suppression of emotions.
Women's rights worldwide: The topic of women's rights worldwide focuses on the examination and promotion of gender equality and the advancement of women's social, political, and economic rights on a global scale.
Gender and media representation: Gender and media representation explores how gender identities and expressions are portrayed and constructed in media texts and the influence of such representations on individuals and society.
Female sexuality and pleasure: The topic of female sexuality and pleasure explores the various aspects of sexual experiences, desires, and satisfaction specific to individuals who identify as women.
Gender and work: Gender and work explores how social constructs of gender affect employment opportunities, pay, workplace dynamics, and the division of labor within different occupational sectors.
Marriage and family structures.: Marriage and family structures in Gender and Sexuality Studies refer to the diverse forms of intimate relationships and familial arrangements that exist, including but not limited to heterosexual monogamy, polyamory, and non-traditional kinship systems with varying power dynamics and legal recognition.
Cisgender: A person whose gender identity matches with the sex they were assigned at birth.
Transgender: A person whose gender identity does not conform to the sex they were assigned at birth.
Nonbinary or genderqueer: A person who does not identify exclusively as male or female, but somewhere in between or outside of the binary gender categories.
Agender or neutrois: A person who does not feel a sense of gender identity or a connection to either male or female.
Two-spirit: A Native American/First Nations concept for people who embody both male and female spirits or roles.
Genderfluid: A person whose gender identity may vary over time, between masculine, feminine, or other gender expressions.
Gender-nonconforming or gender variant: A person who expresses their gender in a way that challenges the traditional expectations of their culture or society.
Intersex: A person who is born with physical sex characteristics that do not fit typical binary notions of male or female anatomy.
Asexual: A person who does not experience sexual attraction or desire towards others.
Bisexual: A person who is attracted to both men and women.
Pansexual: A person who is attracted to people of any gender identity or expression, regardless of binary categories.
Heterosexual: A person who is attracted to people of a different gender.
Homosexual: A person who is attracted to people of the same gender.
Demisexual: A person who experiences sexual attraction only after forming a strong emotional bond with someone.
Graysexual: A person who experiences sexual attraction rarely or only in specific circumstances.
Queer: A term that has been reclaimed by some LGBTQ+ people as an umbrella term for non-heterosexual and non-cisgender identities, or anyone who does not fit the normative definition of sexuality or gender.
"Examples of these factors include gender, caste, sex, race, ethnicity, class, sexuality, religion, disability, weight, and physical appearance."
"These intersecting and overlapping social identities may be both empowering and oppressing."
"Intersectional feminism aims to separate itself from white feminism by acknowledging women's differing experiences and identities."
"The term intersectionality was coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989."
"Intersectionality opposes analytical systems that treat each axis of oppression in isolation."
"In this framework, for instance, discrimination against black women cannot be explained as a simple combination of misogyny and racism, but as something more complicated."
"Intersectionality engages in similar themes as triple oppression, which is the oppression associated with being a poor or immigrant woman of color."
"Criticism includes the framework's tendency to reduce individuals to specific demographic factors, and its use as an ideological tool against other feminist theories."
"Critics have characterized the framework as ambiguous and lacking defined goals."
"As it is based in standpoint theory, critics say the focus on subjective experiences can lead to contradictions and the inability to identify common causes of oppression."
"However, little good-quality quantitative research has been done to support or undermine the theory of intersectionality."
"An analysis of academic articles published through December 2019 found that there are no widely adopted quantitative methods to investigate research questions informed by intersectionality."
"The analysis ... provided recommendations on analytic best practices for future research."
"An analysis of academic articles published through May 2020 found that intersectionality is frequently misunderstood when bridging theory into quantitative methodology."
"In 2022, a quantitative approach to intersectionality was proposed based on information theory, specifically synergistic information."
"In this framing, intersectionality is identified with the information about some outcome (e.g. income, etc.) that can only be learned when multiple identities (e.g. race and sex) are known together."
"Intersectionality is identified with the information about some outcome [...] that can [...] not [be] extractable from analysis of the individual identities considered separately."
"Critics [argue] the inability to identify common causes of oppression."
"Intersectionality broadens the scope of the first and second waves of feminism, [...] to include the different experiences of women of color, poor women, immigrant women, and other groups."