Consider a tech team consisting of a Black woman, a Native American man, and a trans Latina woman. When these individuals come together to brainstorm and problem-solve, they not only bring their expertise and skill sets to the table, but also the complexities of their personal experiences and identities.
And while they draw on their unique backgrounds to help create a diverse, successful company, they also navigate and experience the workplace in nuanced ways because of those differences. This framework is called intersectionality.
“Intersectionality” is the term that describes how different aspects of a person's identity, such as race, gender, ethnicity, and sexuality, intersect and overlap to create distinctive and complex experiences of oppression or discrimination. It acknowledges that individuals aren’t defined by a single characteristic, but rather by a combination of various social and cultural factors that add up to impact their lives in different ways.
Let’s learn more about the history of intersectionality, how it manifests in the workplace, and why understanding it is essential for leaders pioneering more equitable workplaces.
A quick history of intersectionality
In 1989, legal scholar, critical race theorist, and civil rights advocate Kimberlé Crenshaw published an influential essay titled, "Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory, and Antiracist Politics," marking the first explicit use of the term "intersectionality." Crenshaw introduced the concept to address the gap in legal and feminist discussions regarding discrimination and inequality.
She observed that, in many legal cases involving discrimination, courts often failed to recognize the unique experiences of Black women. Discrimination was typically framed in a way that focused on either race or gender, but not both. This led to a form of "double jeopardy" for Black women, where they faced discrimination on the basis of both their race and gender but received limited legal redress. Crenshaw argued it was essential to consider intersecting identities in order to address such social inequalities comprehensively.
Intersectionality quickly gained recognition within academic and activist circles and became a central idea in critical race theory and feminist studies. Over time, it expanded beyond race and gender to encompass other aspects of identity, including disability, sexual orientation, age, and more. Today, intersectionality highlights the need for more inclusive approaches to examining and addressing discrimination and inequality in areas such as employment, education, healthcare access, and social justice.
4 examples of intersectional discrimination in the workplace
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) trainer Pooja Kothari says, “Without intersectionality, we look at workplace discrimination through a white lens, which means we look at combined discrimination only one identity at a time and in comparison to whiteness, maleness, ability, etc, when in reality, multiply marginalized people face unique, compounded discrimination.”
Here are a few examples that illustrate how intersecting identities can lead to compounded discrimination.
1. Race and gender
Maya Raghu, director of workplace equality at the National Women’s Law Center, says, “no matter what [a woman’s] education achievement is—or whether the job is low- or high-paying, where they live or what their age is—they face a wage gap.” Women also remain underrepresented in the leadership roles and are passed over for promotions. These are things that all women face. So to understand women’s unique experiences, we have to keep in mind other identity factors.
For example, a Black woman or Latina woman experiences gender-based discrimination differently than a White woman and racism differently than a Black or Latino man. Women of color often are subjected to a gender pay gap and a racial pay gap simultaneously, experience more race-based microaggressions, are less likely to report that their manager supports their career development, and have less psychological safety. Latina and Asian women especially are more likely than women of other races and ethnicities to be subjected to colleagues’ comments on their culture, for example, asking where they’re “really from.”
Read more: The Perils of ‘Professionalism’: How Dress Codes at Work Discriminate & Exclude
2. Gender and disability
A woman with a disability might encounter barriers and unfair treatment based on both her disability and gender. For instance, she might face assumptions about dependence or limitations related to her disability while also being perceived as less capable to lead a team because of gendered stereotypes.
McKinsey and Company’s 2022 Women in the Workplace study found women with disabilities often have their competence undermined and are significantly more likely than non-disabled women to have their judgment questioned in their area of expertise and have colleagues receive credit for their ideas.
Kothari offers a tangible example of how gender, disability, and race affect one woman: “Fatima is Black and has an invisible disability. In every job interview, her Blackness is apparent, but her disability is not. If she gets offered the job, she asks for the accommodation for her disability. The company, while obligated to provide that accommodation, does not want to spend the money on it and finds another excuse to not hire her. This discrimination impacts Fatima not only because of her disability, but also because lack of access to opportunity is all too common for Black women.”
Read more: Disability Awareness: 5 Tips for Making Your Management Style More Inclusive
3. Sexual orientation and gender identity
A bisexual transgender woman navigates the workplace differently than a heterosexual or cis employee. She might experience double discrimination, where her gender identity and sexual orientation are both sources of bias, and feelings of isolation if she is the only openly LGBTQ+ person in her workplace. Plus, transgender employees might have to worry about bathroom accessibility, pronoun misuse, or inappropriate questioning.
LGBTQ+ women also report experiencing more demeaning and “othering” microaggressions and are more likely than cis women to have colleagues comment on their appearance or tell them that they “look mad” or “should smile more.” One senior manager woman belonging to the LGBTQ+ community says, “As I was progressing through my career, people kept telling me I needed to have ‘executive presence.’ And what they really meant was I needed to look the part. I needed to have the right clothing; I needed to look feminine enough. That was always a challenge for me because I didn’t follow the typical feminine dress code.”
4. Age and gender
An older woman employee may experience ageism and sexism simultaneously and may find it challenging to secure new job opportunities or promotions due to both age-related stereotypes and gender biases.
According to people managers, older employees are more likely to be perceived by others as incompetent with technology, resistant to new ways of doing things, and stubborn or grumpy. So a 60-year-old woman, for example, may have managers assume she is less tech-savvy or adaptable due to her age, while also feeling like her menopausal symptoms are dismissed because of her gender.
Read more: Let’s Talk Menopause at Work: Why Employers Should Be Offering Menopause Benefits
4 ways to be mindful of intersectionality in the workplace
Intersectionality continues to be a crucial concept in contemporary discussions of equity. “It’s that intersectionality that helps move the needle for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI),” says InHerSight founder Ursula Mead. “All aspects of identity contribute to people’s experiences at work, and we can’t advance all women without taking that into account.”
In other words, without having a proper understanding of intersectionality and how it affects the workplace, leaders aren’t able to properly support or advance their women employees. On top of that, women won’t apply to companies that aren’t working toward a fully inclusive and equitable workplace—85 percent say they’re unlikely to apply to, accept a job offer from, or stay at a company that doesn’t have visible and measurable support for DEI initiatives, according to InHerSight research.
Here are four ways leaders can integrate their knowledge of intersectionality into their company culture and policies.
1. Create inclusive hiring processes
A good place for leaders to start is by bolstering diversity within their own companies. The more diverse the company is, the more inherent understanding of marginalized experiences there will be. It’s important to implement inclusive recruitment practices that consider the full spectrum of candidates' backgrounds and experiences. Establish clear criteria for evaluating candidates that goes beyond traditional qualifications, taking into account skills gained through non-traditional paths.
To combat discrimination in the hiring process and increase diversity in the workplace, human resources (HR) teams can employ anonymous hiring in their job application process to allow candidates to remove demographic information—gender, ethnicity, race, education level, graduation dates, headshots, and more—from their job applications. Anonymous applications help hiring managers be presented with the most objective information possible.
2. Educate both managers and employees
Although more and more companies are providing general training for people managers, not many are addressing topics in an intersectional manner. Provide training, employee resource groups, and workshops on topics such as unconscious bias, invisible disabilities, ensuring promotions are equitable, microaggressions, inclusive language, and the unique challenges faced by individuals with intersecting identities.
Create space to listen and learn from employees with intersecting identities. Center stories on those with the lived experiences, but don’t call them out. InHerSight research shows that while many LGBTQ+ employees don’t want to lead or be tapped for discussions on gender identity and expression at work, they still want the conversations to be happening.
3. Promote mentorship and sponsorship programs
Leaders should develop mentorship and sponsorship programs that connect employees from underrepresented groups with senior leaders who can advocate for their advancement. Programs like these are especially important for women at work.
Dana Hundley, a career coach who works in talent acquisition, says, “It’s incredibly important to have female representation in different industries, in different roles, in different capacities, in order to have women advocates. It’s one thing to see a person in a position of power and be inspired and motivated by them. It’s another to have that person reach out to you and say, ‘I know what it’s like to be where you are’ and offer guidance.”
When women or other marginalized employees are promoted into leadership positions, they should be surrounded with a support team—a boss, mentor, coach, or a peer—to maximize their chances of sustainable career growth and success.
Read more: ‘You Have to See It to Be It’: Why Women Role Models Are Key to Gender Equality
4. Maintain an accessible and supportive workplace
Keeping in mind their knowledge of how intersectionality affects workplaces, leaders need to ensure their work environments are physically or digitally accessible to individuals with disabilities. This might include accessible facilities, technology, and accommodations. Provide resources and support for employees who may have specific needs related to their identities, such as lactation rooms for nursing parents or prayer rooms for employees who require religious observance.
Establish clear and confidential reporting mechanisms for instances of discrimination, harassment, or bias, and train HR teams to handle these reports sensitively and empathetically. Continuously monitor the effectiveness of your inclusive policies and gather feedback from employees with intersecting identities. Be open to making adjustments and improvements based on feedback and changing demographics within your organization.
