Seeing and Overcoming the Complexities of Intersectionality

Abstract

Background: Intersectionality contests that individuals have multiple characteristics in their identity that cannot be siloed or deemed exclusive to each other. Understanding and utilising an intersectional lens in organisations can increase inclusion of individuals and organisational performance. An educational package known as the Intersectionality Walk (IW) was developed by the authors, piloted, and evaluated in order to break down the commonly held descriptors of diversity silos that fragments inclusion, and to understand how various identity characteristics compound disadvantage. The paper outlines the need to transition from siloed views of diversity to a more intrinsic view of identity to achieve inclusivity. Methods: The IW was developed and trialled with a series of work-based scenarios and realistic multifaceted personas. Data collection occurred pre- and post-IW utilising a mixed methods approach. Responses to Likert scale surveys and open-ended questions were captured and analysed via inductive and grounded theory perspectives. Results: An improved awareness and understanding of individual knowledge, reflectivity and positionality relating to intersectionality and intersectional approaches was reported on completion of the IW. Furthermore, responses reported how and why organisations can approach and improve inclusivity via using intersectional approaches. Conclusions: The IW as an educational package has a positive impact and is a key linkage for all employers to build an inclusive culture and to harness the talent of all employees. Further research will occur to measure the implemented change in organisations following the IW.

Do mentoring programmes influence women’s careers in the health and medical research sector? A mixed-methods evaluation of Australia’s Franklin Women Mentoring Programme

“… 21 This is a reflection of the status of diversity and inclusion action in the Australian scientific sector, which has increased rapidly in response to government and sector advocacy and investment, yet still largely led by individual volunteers, 39 often holding multiple roles within an organisation (ie, teaching, research or human resources), and often without specific training and support to fully understand these complex issues themselves. 40 Financial prioritisation of gender equity, and other diversity and inclusion initiatives, is known to be low, 41 and the limited funding available is often applied only for direct delivery of specific programme activities, rather than compensation of staff time or evaluation activities. Complex problems such as gender equity require several complementary interventions to affect change, and this evaluation information may be used to inform decisions on financial and time investments into the future.…”

Perceptions of Barriers to Career Progression for Academic Women in STEM

“…While recruitment was for 'female identifying' participants, none of the participants were asked to disclose any detail about their gender identity. These focus groups intended to explore the experiences and perceptions of being a woman in STEM using an intersectional lens, acknowledging that individuals are "more than the sum of [their] identifiable 'demographic' categories", [41] (p. 5). Similarly, we do not wish to present individual experiences of, say, a female-identifying doctoral student and infer that the results presented apply to all female-identifying doctoral students, as this is patently inaccurate.…”

A Systematic Map of Inclusion, Equity and Diversity in Science Communication Research: Do We Practice what We Preach?

“…There are small pockets of activity which recognise this, with some of the collected articles looking at populations with multiple factors such as gender, cultural background and socioeconomic status. It is this kind of intersectional approach which is necessary if we wish to develop systems, structures, policies and programs which are truly inclusive of the communities we serve (Thomas et al, 2021). Yet the results found in this study show that these kinds of studies are not yet common.…”