Intersectional Understandings of Inequality

Abstract

To address the increase in social and economic inequalities requires complex paradigms that take into account multiple sources of oppression. This chapter proposes the concept of intersectionality elaborated through social identity theory and borderlands theory as a potential avenue for research and policy to speak to and solve multiple sources of disadvantage. The multiple sources of inequality produce intersectional identities as embodied in the social identities constituted by the master statuses of sexuality, gender, class, race, ethnicity, and physical ableness. By applying intersectionality to inequality one can examine both intersections of disadvantage (e.g., being poor and of Color) or intersections of both of disadvantage and privilege (e.g., being male and of Color). Intersectionality also permits the study of privilege when advantaged social identities are problematized. I conclude with reviewing the possible ways of empirically studying intersectionality and the advantages in applying it to the understanding of social and economic inequalities.

A multi-stakeholder ethical framework for AI-augmented HRM

“…In the near future, we assume a much more significant role of HR professionals as custodians and managers of legal frameworks that lay down the conditions of using AI tools at full or limited autonomy. The notion of "intersectional inequality"how categories of inequality, such as race, class, ethnicity, age and gender are experiencedin the context of algorithm technology and how it spurs inequality, is gaining traction in more recent labour relations research (Hurtado, 2018;Schesinger et al, 2017;Sloane, 2019). It has been observed that a socio-technical system based on algorithms reproduces a matrix of dominations that may cause oppression based on gender, class and race (Costanza-Chock, 2018).…”

The Uncertain Path Toward College: How Intersectionality Shaped the Experiences of Latinas Enrolled at a Hispanic-Serving Institution

“…Intersectionality allows us to consider how multiple forms of oppression (e.g., racism, classism, sexism, nativism, and ableism) shaped Latina students’ educational experiences from high school to college. Intersectionality has its roots in women of color feminisms; it acknowledges the marginalized identities of individuals and how these identities are simultaneously shaped by systems of oppression and exclusion (Collins, 2015; Crenshaw, 1991; A. Hurtado, 2018; Zambrana & Hurtado, 2015).…”

“…For example, Hurtado (2020) and Collins (2015) mention the work of Chicana feminist scholar Anzaldúa (1987) and her contributions to themes of intersectionality, such as “border crossing, border space, boundaries, and relationality” (Collins, 2015, p. 9). Hurtado (2018) applies Anzaldúa’s borderland theory and mestiza consciousness to intersectionality through a lens of social identity theory, which allows for an examination of identity as fluid. These perspectives allowed us to examine our participants’ identities at home, school, and college and through various sociopolitical contexts as fluid.…”

Research Methods in the Study of Intersectionality in Psychology: Examples Informed by a Decade of Collaborative Work With Majority World Women’s Grassroots Activism

“…Crediting the emergence of this focus requires recognizing the rich history of intellectual contributions from women of Color that undoubtedly influenced the wide embrace of this concept. Crenshaw (1989Crenshaw ( , 1990 work on intersectionality holds a pioneering place in scholarship and activism because it exposed the failure of the legal system to handle more than one aspect of African American women's marginalization (Hurtado, 2018). Although Crenshaw's work did not explicitly examine additional social locations that also oppress women, her work provided a conceptual framework for considering multiple sources of oppression in analyzing women's experience.…”

“…In Hurtado (2018) work linking social identity theory (Tajfel, 1981) to intersectionality, she defines intersectionality as a "constellation of social identities that are the primary basis for power distribution and for stigmatization and subordination" (p. 162). She uses the term intersectional identity to refer to social identities that stem from being part of social categories and groups that result in specific political, social, and economic consequences, thereby allowing for the investigation of identity in a manner that prioritizes the systemic and structural dimensions of social life.…”