Seeing and Overcoming the Complexities of Intersectionality

Abstract

. 1) 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. 2) 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 ground theory perspectives. 3) 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. Further, responses reported how and why organisations can approach and improve inclusivity via using intersectional approaches. 4) 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.

Transforming injury prevention for youth (TrIPY): an intersectionality model for youth injury prevention

“…Cultural safety and intersectionality training should be provided and required for injury prevention practitioners and facilitators. According to Thomas et al ,47 ‘What is generally absent from the literature is the description of how to apply an intersectional lens through education and training to close the gap of a lack of knowledge on intersectionality’. Thus, those involved in health promotion and injury prevention efforts should develop critical self-reflection skills and evaluate their behaviours and abilities or limitations 47.…”

“…According to Thomas et al ,47 ‘What is generally absent from the literature is the description of how to apply an intersectional lens through education and training to close the gap of a lack of knowledge on intersectionality’. Thus, those involved in health promotion and injury prevention efforts should develop critical self-reflection skills and evaluate their behaviours and abilities or limitations 47. Educational injury prevention programmes could close this gap by including intersectionality in all aspects of design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of initiatives.…”

“…Although literature supports the design and implementation of injury prevention initiatives that apply intersectionality, the application of intersectionality into injury prevention needs to extend beyond epistemological approaches that reveal inequalities—to be used as a tool informing action 47. Referring back to Woodward et al , there is an opportunity to both explore the inequities that exist as well as guide new critical approaches to implementation at a programming level.…”

An intersectionality lens is needed to establish a global view of equity, diversity and inclusion

“…racism, sexism, heterosexism, classism) at the macro social structural level’. Thus, intersectionality is a suitable framework for understanding the impact of cumulative occurrences of privileges or barriers on individual success in academia based on the multiple identities of any one individual, such as nationality, race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, and ability (Thomas et al, 2021). The intersectionality of gender and race has been thoroughly discussed (Arnold et al, 2020; Cantalupo, 2019; Ong et al, 2011), but researchers from many regions around the world face inequities in other linguistic and socioeconomic dimensions (Nuñez et al, 2021).…”

Diversity and Career Progression in Dental School Staff in the UK and Ireland

“…Inequalities according to gender have been documented both in dental careers 5,11 and across academic settings [12][13][14] with females consistently less well represented in higher grades and more prestigious positions and reporting discrimination on a variety of counts. 13,15 Race and gender are two of many social identities likely to intersect at the level of individual experience to create additional challenges 16 that may not be currently recognised within dental academia.…”