ne of the terms used in discussions of gender equality is intersectionality. It’s a relatively new term (Kimberlé Crenshaw used it in the 1990s) to describe a tool to consider where multiple factors can influence someone’s social experience. Interdependent experiences of class, race, gender, ability, etc., can overlap to lead to a complex reality of what someone is experiencing.
One way to consider this is as an intersection in the road: as we approach an intersection, we realise that there are many ways to arrive at that point, and many ways to move from that point. Additionally, we recognise that each issue will have a spectrum – for example, a route between poverty and affluence. And we recognise that every individual is at their own place in that spectrum.
So, an intersectionality of two issues (such as gender and legal rights) has four possible directions: either positive or negative experiences of each. Each aspect has an influence on the other; the legal standing of an individual can be dependent on their gender, and gender can influence (positively or negatively) which direction legal rights may progress.
When multiple factors overlay, then, the intersection becomes more and more complex; when someone’s experiences are all in a negative impact due to one factor, the complications to move towards a positive outcome in any direction are more and more difficult.
Thus, the potential oppression of an individual’s experience can include substantially more challenges than we may appreciate at first glance.
This is at the heart of gender issues, as we know that women and gender-oppressed peoples tend to experience more discrimination in their lives when the increased challenges of life intersect with those challenges; it can be overwhelming.
As Christians, we are invited to help establish and maintain a positive experience of faith for all people; in at least this way we can make the path through the intersection of life a little bit easier for those God has put in our path.
