2.3  Intersectionality

Kimberlé Crenshaw

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Kimberlé Crenshaw standing behind a podium on a stage, delivering a speech or presentation. The podium prominently displays the text ‘THE NEW YORK WOMEN’S FOUNDATION’ in bold white letters against a red and blue background design.

Kimberlé Crenshaw

You came across the concept of intersectionality briefly in Unit 2, Section 3.1. The term intersectionality was coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw and is an extremely useful one when thinking about any form of discrimination within the workplace (or anywhere for that matter). An intersectional approach is one that recognises that all people have more than one characteristic that may be subject to discrimination and hostility. For example, while a woman may experience sexism when chairing a meeting, a disabled woman of colour may also experience ableism and racism.

In this section you will start thinking about how the social identities of the chair impact the way they are responded to.

It is also the role of the chair to think about the social identities of those attending the meeting. The chair must ensure that they and all participants avoid acting in discriminatory or biased ways toward other attendees.