Beyond Bias: How Intersectionality Shapes Discrimination

Intersectionality is the study of how various forms of discrimination interact with one another. However, identifying who is affected by multiple forms of bigotry is not enough. It also helps us understand how these factors interact to produce more subtle forms of discrimination. This article will explain what intersectionality is and how it affects discrimination. You will also learn how implicit bias relates to discrimination.

What’s In The Article?

• Defining Intersectionality

• How Intersectionality Shapes Discrimination

• The Effects Of Intersectionality On Discrimination

• How Implicit Bias Affects Discrimination

• Implicit Bias And Ageism

• Implicit Bias And Ableism

• Other Forms Of Discrimination

• Final Thoughts

Defining Intersectionality

Intersectionality refers to how various forms of discrimination interact and compound in individuals. It is about more than just racism; it is also about sexism and other forms of discrimination. 

Intersectionality refers to how oppressive institutions, such as racism, sexism, and classism, overlap and interact. Kimberle Crenshaw coined the term in 1989, which social scientists have widely adopted. Intersectional discrimination has been shown to have a negative impact on people's well-being.

How Intersectionality Shapes Discrimination

When people belong to multiple marginalized groups, they are subjected to various forms of discrimination, which can be difficult to identify independently.

People can be members of several marginalized groups. A woman of color with disabilities, for example, may face discrimination based on both her race and gender. People who belong to more than one marginalized group face additional forms of discrimination that those who belong to only one category do not experience.

Racism is inextricably linked to sexism and other forms of discrimination. Intersectionality is important because it explains how racism, sexism, classism, and other forms of discrimination are linked.

Today, we see similar patterns reoccurring throughout our society. This includes police brutality against people of color, housing discrimination against those communities, voter suppression tactics that target specific communities at polling places during elections, and so on.

The Effects Of Intersectionality On Discrimination

Intersectionality can explain why some groups face more discrimination than others. Intersectional discrimination has an impact on implicit bias as well. People with negative stereotypes about certain racial groups may unconsciously associate those stereotypes with members of those groups. Intersectionality is a conceptual framework for understanding how various forms of discrimination interact. It examines the intersections of multiple oppressions or how they overlap and reinforce one another.

Intersectional feminism recognizes that not all women are oppressed equally: white women face less oppression than black women; non-disabled women face less oppression than women with disabilities; and middle-class/wealthy/privileged people face less oppression than poor people who lack access to resources or opportunities.

How Implicit Bias Affects Discrimination

Implicit bias refers to a set of unconscious and automatic biases that influence how people act and interact with others. It is formed due to socialization, making it difficult to avoid even when we want to.

Implicit bias is a type of prejudice involving feelings or opinions about group members that people are unaware of and thus cannot easily control. It's also considered discriminatory because it causes us to treat some groups differently than others based on stereotypes, even if those stereotypes aren't positive or negative.

Implicit Bias And Ageism

Ageism is an implicit bias that discriminates against the elderly. Although ageism is widespread in society, it remains one of the least researched forms of prejudice. As a result, we are unaware of how common this type of discrimination is or how it affects our daily lives.

Implicit Bias And Ableism

Discrimination against people with disabilities is known as ableism. It can manifest as negative attitudes and beliefs about what it means to have disabilities and discriminatory behavior toward people with one or more disabilities.

Implicit bias is frequently the cause of ableism. We may not realize we have negative stereotypes about people who belong to certain groups, such as those with disabilities. Still, we find ourselves reacting negatively toward such people without realizing it. Our responses may come across as rude rather than hostile. However, this does not make them any less harmful to those exposed to them.

Other Forms Of Discrimination

Racism is about more than just individual prejudice; it is also about systemic power dynamics. In other words, racism is about who has the authority to define what is normal and who does not. It's a tool used by those with power to keep their place at the top of society's hierarchy.

People with disabilities are more likely than their peers without disabilities to be unemployed and have lower incomes. They also face significant employment barriers due to their health status and other factors frequently associated with disability (such as being female or belonging to an ethnic minority).

The same is true for those living in poverty. Suppose you're poor enough that just getting by financially each month is difficult. In that case, no one can afford health care coverage unless they already have it through another program like Medicaid/Medicare. If they have coverage through one of these programs, losing their job could mean losing everything because there will be no money left after paying monthly premiums.

Final Thoughts

Everyone should learn the concept of intersectionality since it can help us better understand how people experience discrimination. Intersectionality is a concept that describes how different types of discrimination interact and compound in people. It's also important for all of us to learn about it since it allows us to identify our biases and then work on overcoming them to be more inclusive in our daily lives.

Intersectionality research can help us understand how various forms of discrimination interact and shape how we perceive the world. The more we know how these multiple types of bias interact with one another, the better equipped we will be to prevent them from occurring in the future.