"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."
The interconnectedness of social identities and their effects on gender and masculinity.
Intersectionality: Intersectionality refers to the interconnectedness of different forms of oppression and marginalization, particularly regarding race, gender, class, and sexual orientation. It recognizes that individuals experience multiple and unique forms of discrimination.
Social constructs: The concept of social constructs relates to the idea that societal norms and expectations are created and reinforced by cultural and social institutions. These constructs impact how we perceive and interact with different groups of people.
Power and privilege: Power and privilege refer to the advantages and opportunities that certain individuals or groups have over others in society. These advantages are often tied to factors such as race, gender, and social class.
Feminism: Feminism is a social, political, and cultural movement that seeks to challenge and eliminate gender-based discrimination and inequality. It seeks to establish equality and fairness for people of all genders.
Toxic masculinity: Toxic masculinity refers to harmful behaviors and attitudes attributed to men that reinforce gender stereotypes and harmful ideals related to what it means to be a “real man.”.
Masculinity in media: Masculinity in media refers to the portrayal of men and masculinity in various forms of media, such as film and television. It addresses how these portrayals can reinforce problematic gender stereotypes and other harmful ideas.
Masculinity and violence: This topic examines the relationship between masculinity and violence, particularly issues related to sexual assault, domestic violence, and gun violence.
Hegemonic masculinity: Hegemonic masculinity refers to dominant cultural ideas about what it means to be a “real man” and the power structures that sustain those ideas.
Queer theory: Queer theory is an interdisciplinary field of study that seeks to understand and challenge heteronormativity and homonormativity. It also examines the intersections between gender, sexuality, and power.
Race and ethnicity: This topic involves examining how race and ethnicity intersect with masculinity and other gender identities, particularly concerning issues related to discrimination, marginalization, and social justice.
Sexuality: This topic examines how sexuality intersects with masculinity, particularly concerning issues related to homophobia, transphobia, and heteronormativity.
Class: The concept of class relates to social and economic status and how it intersects with masculinity and other social identities. It addresses issues such as poverty, access to education, and economic inequality.
Race and Masculinity: This type of intersectionality examines how race and ethnicity intersect with masculinity and how it influences the lived experiences of men of color.
Class and Masculinity: This type of intersectionality looks at how socioeconomic status affects the way men experience and express their masculinity.
Sexuality and Masculinity: This type of intersectionality focuses on the ways in which gender identity and sexual orientation intersect and influence the formation of masculine identities.
Disability and Masculinity: This type of intersectionality explores how disability and ableism intersect with traditional masculine ideals and influence the way disabled men experience and express their masculinity.
Age and Masculinity: This type of intersectionality looks at how ageism affects the construction and performance of masculine identities, particularly for older men.
Religion and Masculinity: This type of intersectionality examines how religious beliefs and practices intersect with masculinity and influence the way men express and embody their religious identities.
Heteronormativity and Masculinity: This type of intersectionality examines how heteronormativity functions as a social construct that both informs and is reinforced by traditional masculine ideals and behaviors.
Nationality and Masculinity: This type of intersectionality explores how ideas about nationality and patriotism intersect with masculinity and influence men’s sense of national identity.
Health and Masculinity: This type of intersectionality examines how health status and illness intersect with traditional masculine norms and expectations, and how men’s experiences with healthcare are shaped by their masculine identities.
Migration and Masculinity: This type of intersectionality takes into account how migration and immigration impact the formation and expression of masculine identities, particularly for men who immigrate to new countries.
"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."