Feminism has created a framework for understanding the barriers persons face because of their non-majority demographics. Input to be used to create synergistic social solutions.
Intersectionality: An Opportunity for Positive Social Change
Adopting a balanced approach to developing and interpreting Intersectional Framework data would provide an excellent basis for developing synergistic solutions, correcting cultural biases, reducing unintended outcomes, and improve social innovation.
Intersectionality 411
Intersectionality Emerged Within Feminism
Each successive wave of feminism addressed a new level of social inequality and resistance -- exploration and remedy.
The first wave of feminism focused on gender political inequity, which mainly enabled white women to vote.
The second wave of feminism focused on social inequities such as women having equal pay for work outside of the home, Title IX (equal access to education and development opportunities), and Roe V. Wade (women's ownership of their reproductive health); again, primarily of benefit to white career women.
The third wave developed the awareness of the "Intersectionality" of different demographics, as illustrated in the graphic, above, including race, sexual orientation, religion, and age added a new dimension for social innovation and equality for all demographics.
The Progression of Intersectionality
1. Origin: Black feminist and legal scholar Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw, law professor at Columbia University and UCLA, originally postulated gender is not the only demographic in which people can be discriminated or oppressed. She coined the term "Intersectionality" in 1989 to denote a framework to conduct detailed analysis and research on oppression of different demographics and facilitate the development of meaningful legislation and social programs to eliminate and compensate for the effects of oppression.
2. Expanding the Demographics: Sociologist Patricia Hill Collins included additional races, but, then to include other areas of oppression beyond gender, such as sexual orientation.Collins was key in identifying the various intersections of social inequality in her "matrix of domination," and how the experience of oppression is different for each demographic category.
3. Introduction of Standpoints and Othering: Collins and others referred to the relative world view of oppression by each demographic category as "standpoints." They explain how standpoints cause internal personal conflicts and the sense of not belonging. People often feel some aspect of their being is unacceptable when compared to the social norms exemplified by white males. This negative comparison is refer to as "othering."
4. Recognizing the Negative Effects of Othering: Extensive research has been conducted on the negative affect "othering" has on the physiological, sociological, and economic well-being of people. Collins and others claim the resistance to this oppression is "self-awareness;" it preserves the self-esteem of the oppressed group and allows them avoid outside dehumanizing influences.
Weaknesses of the Current Intersectionality Framework
1. The current framework does not celebrate and imitate standpoint successes: Critics claim the Intersectionality Framework excludes demographics who have suffered and overcome oppression. The norm is any group that overcomes adversity, achieves independence, or successfully defends itself is considered "corrupt" or "imperialistic." For example, American Jews and people of Southern Asia heritage educated themselves and advocated for their ideas to the American mainstream. However, they are rejected by the intersectionality crowd for rejecting victimization.
2. Discounts and cancels alternative thoughts and theories: Members of various intersectionality group that have different views that differ from conventional intersectional views are often attacked, and individuals cancelled.
3. The framework is too Western: Third-world and transnational people criticize the current form of intersectionality as being too Western, i.e., industrially developed nation centric. Transnational intersectionality examines the oppression of an intersectional grouping from the standpoint of countries that were once colonized by European nations and/or are not white male dominated.
Epilogue
Negating the weaknesses and adopting a balanced approach to developing and interpreting Intersectional Framework data would provide an excellent basis to develop synergistic solutions, correcting cultural biases, reducing unintended outcomes, and improve social innovation.
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