Walk into any rally or scroll through hashtags about women’s rights, and you’ll hear the word intersectionality tossed around like it’s been there forever. But this idea didn’t come out of nowhere. Coined by scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989, intersectionality was born out of frustration—frustration that mainstream feminism often spoke to the needs of middle-class, white, cisgender women while overlooking the layered struggles of others. The truth? Gender alone doesn’t explain inequality. Race, class, disability, sexuality, and geography all shape how women experience the world. That’s why intersectionality isn’t just a buzzword—it’s the backbone of meaningful feminist advocacy.
What Intersectionality Really Means
At its core, intersectionality recognizes that identities overlap. A Black woman doesn’t face sexism in one box and racism in another; she experiences both simultaneously, in ways that can’t be separated. An immigrant single mother may face barriers tied to gender, income, and legal status all at once. Ignoring these intersections means ignoring people’s lived realities.
Think of it like traffic at an intersection: cars can come from multiple directions. When a crash happens, it’s because of the overlap, not just one street.
Why It Matters for Feminist Advocacy
Mainstream feminist movements have historically made gains—like reproductive rights, workplace protections, and education access. But without intersectionality, those gains don’t reach everyone equally.
- Pay equity: White women in Canada earn about 89 cents for every male dollar, but Indigenous and racialized women often earn far less (Statistics Canada).
- Healthcare access: Legal abortion exists in Canada, but rural, Indigenous, and disabled women often struggle to access safe, timely care.
- Violence against women: Indigenous women and girls face violence at disproportionately high rates, as highlighted by the MMIWG Inquiry.
If advocacy doesn’t account for these layered realities, it risks leaving the most vulnerable women behind.
Intersectionality in Action
Some of the most powerful advocacy work today is explicitly intersectional:
- Black Lives Matter: Centering how policing, racism, and sexism collide in Black women’s lives.
- Indigenous women’s organizations: Linking gender justice to land rights, cultural survival, and sovereignty.
- Disability justice movements: Highlighting how accessibility and reproductive rights overlap (think inaccessible clinics or lack of inclusive sex ed).
By building coalitions across movements, intersectional feminism creates broader, stronger pushes for justice.
Why Critics Sometimes Push Back
Some argue intersectionality “complicates” feminism or makes it too fragmented. But here’s the reality: real life is complicated. Pretending that all women face the same barriers simplifies advocacy but leaves systemic problems untouched. Intersectionality isn’t about division—it’s about honesty and inclusion.
What Advocates Can Do
- Listen first: Center voices of marginalized groups rather than speaking over them.
- Collect better data: Push for disaggregated stats (e.g., race and gender combined) to reveal hidden gaps.
- Build alliances: Collaborate with groups working on related issues like immigration, poverty, or disability rights.
- Reflect in practice: From policy campaigns to organizational leadership, make sure decision-making tables reflect diverse women.
FAQs
Who coined the term intersectionality?
Kimberlé Crenshaw, a Black feminist legal scholar, in 1989.
Is intersectionality only about race and gender?
No, it includes all overlapping identities: class, disability, sexuality, immigration status, and more.
Why is intersectionality important in Canada specifically?
Because Indigenous, immigrant, and racialized women face systemic inequities that generic feminism often misses.