What happens to someone who belongs to a discriminated gender, an oppressed minority, a low socioeconomic class, and a persecuted race? The answer is that all these factors combine to make their life particularly difficult. This concept is known as "intersectionality". The term was coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw in the late 1980s to challenge simplistic views of identity and oppression. Intersectionality highlights how different aspects of a person's identity intersect and interact, creating unique experiences that are often overlooked.
So, what is intersectionality? It challenges the traditional model of seeing identity and oppression as separate and distinct. People embody multiple identities that intersect and interact, shaping their experiences in profound ways. For example, a black woman's experiences may differ significantly from those of a white woman due to the additional layer of racial discrimination she faces.
The wage gap between the sexes is a good example of intersectionality. While the gap is often presented as a gap between men and women, a cross-view reveals a more complex reality. Taking into account social background and ethnicity, we find that the pay gap for minority women is multiplied by the gap between them and men, as well as the gap between them and other cultural groups.
Intersectionality becomes especially important when examining the lived experiences of marginalized people. For instance, a disabled, transgender immigrant who belongs to a lower socioeconomic class has experiences shaped not only by their disability but also by their gender identity, immigrant status, and economic circumstances. The approach's crucial insight is that social change must recognize and address the intersections and intersections of oppression. By understanding the complex ways in which different forms of harm, oppression, and exclusion intersect, better strategies can be devised to deal with them.
