"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 different forms of oppression such as racism, sexism, classism, and how feminist literature addresses these issues.
Intersectionality: Intersectionality refers to the overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination and oppression that individuals experience based on their identities such as race, gender, sexuality, class, and ability, creating unique experiences of oppression.
Feminism: Feminism is a political movement dedicated to achieving gender equality and dismantling patriarchy, the system of male dominance and privilege that permeates society.
Oppression: Oppression refers to the systemic and institutionalized mistreatment of marginalized groups such as people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, and those with disabilities.
Privilege: Privilege refers to the advantages and benefits experienced by individuals who belong to dominant and/or privileged groups, such as white people, heterosexuals, and those with higher socio-economic status.
Racism: Racism refers to the systemic oppression and discrimination against individuals based on their race or ethnicity.
Sexism: Sexism refers to the systemic oppression and discrimination against individuals based on their gender.
Classism: Classism refers to the systemic oppression and discrimination against individuals based on their socio-economic class.
Ableism: Ableism refers to the systemic oppression and discrimination against individuals with disabilities.
LGBTQ+ Rights: Intersectionality recognizes the unique experiences of oppression faced by LGBTQ+ individuals and advocates for their rights and inclusion in society.
Global Feminism: Global Feminism recognizes the intersections of oppression faced by women and gender non-conforming individuals around the world and advocates for their rights and equality globally.
Race and Gender Intersectionality: This type of intersectionality examines how race and gender intersect and interact to shape experiences of oppression and privilege. For instance, Black women experience a unique kind of oppression that is different from Black men or White women.
Class and Gender Intersectionality: This type of intersectionality scrutinizes how socio-economic status and gender intersect and shape experiences of social inequality. For example, low-income women experience higher levels of gender-based violence and less access to opportunities than high-income women.
LGBTQ+ Intersectionality: This type of intersectionality explores how gender identity and sexual orientation intersect with other social categories such as race, class, and ability, leading to unique experiences of marginalization and invisibility. For instance, transgender women of color experience a disproportionate amount of violence and discrimination.
Disability and Gender Intersectionality: This type of intersectionality highlights the challenges faced by people with disabilities who also have a gender identity. For example, disabled women face issues such as gender-based violence, limited access to health care, and employment discrimination.
Age and Gender Intersectionality: This type of intersectionality studies how age and gender intersect and shape experiences of oppression and privilege. For instance, younger women face issues such as sexual harassment, while older women face ageism in the workplace and lack of visibility.
Religion and Gender Intersectionality: This type of intersectionality looks at how religion and gender intersect and lead to unique experiences of oppression and privilege. For instance, Muslim women face Islamophobia and gender-based violence.
"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."