Feminist Theory And Feminist Theory

Intersectionality has been partly criticized for being nebulous in nature and difficult to define and apply in practice. For the purposes of this paper, I do not wish to offer a defininitve definintion of the term, but instead offer an understanding of several key concepts which have particular salience for social work practice. Intersectionality can function both as a theory for understanding structural inequality but also as a paradigm through which to investigate these systems. Intersectionality scholarship has functioned primarily to highlight the complexity of interlocking systems of oppression. In doing so intersectional scholarship seeks to center the experience of marginalized groups, revealing how oppression manifests both inside and outside of social justice movements.

In this patriarchal and capitalist society, we are socially constructed to think we all have the same opportunity to succeed. Today, intersectionality issues play a huge role in society as it did fifty years ago. Intersectionality issues consist of discrimination by gender, race, age, religion, class, and even

Intersectionality has a significant impact on the feminist movement for several reasons; first is recognition of varying oppressions, second the inclusiveness of others facing oppression, and third how the recognition and inclusiveness can help reach equality. Intersectionality and the growing recognition of it has provided a better look at the amount of different oppressions that exist Through the understanding of intersectionality it becomes clear that race and sex are not the only factions that experience oppression, this awareness has led to the desire to “address a whole range of oppression.” (Combahee, pg. 4) Race and sex are no longer the sole focus of

The intersectionality of women’s health issues such as domestic violence overlaps this problematic worldwide situation and connects vastly across cultures and continents, as domestic violence does not discriminate against women--people do. In the peer-reviewed academic design study article, “Intersectionality and Framing Domestic Violence”, Jennifer Nixon and Cathy Humphreys investigates intersectionality of feminist framing of domestic violence, and hypothesize a feminist theory specifically aimed at issues of violence against women. Nixon and Humphreys postulate that “deconstruction, not to cause harm on feminist activism has made ideological, material, and political gains for survivors of domestic violence” (Nixon and Humphreys 138). Additionally, they establish meaning that domestic violence is extensive, oppresses women, and is multi-cultural and the economic segments require revision. Subsequently, recommending that need to re-frame domestic violence should be a concentration on intersectionality, with its focus on the overlapping repetitions of gender, race, and ethnicity, class, disability, and sexuality. As the empirical results are constantly fluctuating, incorporating inclusions of updated results are vital, especially to include intersectionality which comprises the larger overlapping inclusion of the violence against women movement. In fact, Portwood and Finkel Heany’s (2007) peer-reviewed design study, “Responding to Violence Against Women: Social Science

Yet, Crenshaw admits, “it is not always easy to reconstruct an accident” (1991). The reason behind this statement is a need to categorize the two dimensions of racism and sexism because the two terms are closely intertwined. And “the intersectional experience”, according to Crenshaw, “is greater than the sum of racism and sexism, any analysis that does not take intersectionality into account cannot sufficiently address the particular manner in which Black women are subordinated” (1991). The scholar argues a black woman has an intersectional identity because of two key factors: she is woman and she is black which shape her life from the very beginning and, more importantly, she may be marginalized within them. Crenshaw divides intersectionality into three main categories (1991). The first, structural intersetionality refers to the experiences of black women in terms of domestic violence. Crenshew states at this point that there are many women of color who are excluded from their societies in terms of education and work. Apart from that, they often become victims of the class oppression and hierarchy that situate them at the bottom of the community structure. The second, political intersectionality depicts a problem with violence against women who are often marginalized. According to Crenshaw, it stems from the fact that women of color are often torn between political groups presenting conflicting agendas. On the one hand, they still have to opt for their rights as women in the male-dominated world and, on the other hand, they have to confront themselves with white women. At this point, the intersectionality between race and gender is visible. The third, representational intersectionality is directly related to the representation of black women in a culture that is often biased and,

Early feminism was typically focused only on white women, likely because racism was still extremely prominent at the time feminism began emerging. It was not until Kimberlé Crenshaw introduced the term “intersectionality” in 1989 that feminism started to look at oppressed group’s needs (Nash, 2008, 2). Intersectionality is a way of thinking that acknowledges that when a person has identities that belong to more than one oppressed group, it impacts their quality of life more negatively. In this paper, I will argue that intersectionality is important in the discussion of feminist theories and activism because it ensures that feminism is for all women, not just a select group of them. Intersectionality has changed the way the feminist movement handles the overlapping of different identities, which has helped feminist theorists understand the experiences of women of colour much more clearly. While intersectionality has a very important role in the conversation and practice of feminism, there are certainly critiques of the concept that should be brought up. These critiques, however, can offer a way to improve the study of intersectionality.

The theory of intersectionality as a research tool has practical implications in political practice and public policy. This allows for greater efforts to be made to address the structural disparity between women’s rights based on factors such as race, class, sexuality, ability and so on. The importance of implementing intersectionality, as a feminist theory, within these spheres is that significant changes can occur and this can allow for more adequate policies in regards to women’s needs. There has been further discussion surrounding how developing ideas of intersectionality towards these structures and institutions will allow for further debunking of politicized identities, which I will further discuss in this essay as posing a limitation

In order to establish a dialogue between women of color and white women, it is necessary to understand what intersectionality is. Intersectionality theory accounts for the levels of oppression a person has to confront (Ramsay, 455). For example,

In undergrad, we had spoken about intersectionality in class, but it never impacted me and my thought process the way it did in this class. I had only ever spoken about how intersectionality impacted us individually. I thought of how I was a woman, a bi-racial woman and now that I am older and in a more accepting environment I about how I am a queer woman. However, I haven’t ever extended it directly to my clients and the communities I have and will serve. The first article that spoke about intersexuality was the Annamma, Connor and Ferri article that spoke about the intersectionality of minorities and disabilities. The article reported that African American students are three times as likely to be

Intersectionality in terms of feminist social work understands the diversity amongst the experiences of women based on multiple

Ever since Intersectionality was introduced as a component of feminism, the movement has progressed exponentially. All individuals have many different characteristics and diverse experiences that influence them as beings. Intersectionality addresses the fact that feminism is not just about gender, but about society as a whole. The idea is that feminism is there to help all women, but the issue is privileged women often times don’t see that they are ostracizing minorities. Intersectionality is used as a framework for feminist analysis. It is also needed for the progression of the feminist movement because it acknowledges all categories that shape lives and proves that women’s oppressions are not just because of their gender, but the interaction of structural influences.

There are many interpretations of intersectionality, but without a doubt, the critical theory of intersectionality is based on the understanding that oppressive institutions within society take different forms for specific cultural and social positions of individuals and groups. Among the concerns in the article, Joan Simalchik and Hunter College Women’s and Gender Studies Collective discuss the ways in which intersectionality provides a better understanding of how relations of power and privilege and the intersection of gender and race influence women’s everyday lives.

Women’s history is a history of oppression. Throughout time, women have faced systematic domination, which has ultimately informed women’s identities and shaped their roles in society. However, the oppression of women is not uniform and different groups of women have experienced sexist oppression to different degrees and in vastly different ways. This is largely due to intersectionality, which is the idea that the convergence and interaction of various oppressed aspects of one’s identity uniquely affect individuals and social systems. As Kimberlé Crenshaw discusses in “Intersectionality and Identity Politics: Learning from Violence Against Women of Color”, women of color are situated in such a way that they belong to at least two subjugated groups. Their particular position exemplifies intersectionality because they are victims of overlapping patterns of sexism and racism, leaving them completely marginalized. Furthermore, intersectionality highlights the interconnectedness and multiplicity of oppression in society. In her essay “’Intersectionality’ is a Big Fancy Word for My Life”, Mia Mingus explains how the oppressed can also contribute to oppression. This concept in culmination with discrepancies in discrimination within communities leads to a fraught and complex dynamic that has lasting impacts. Societies must recognize intersectionality in women’ history in order to fully comprehend and rectify the oppression of today.

Feminist perspective developed with the ideology that women face large amounts of inequalities in a patriarchal society. They aimed to address and rid the social world of this oppression of women by men. According to Bishop, (2015) “oppression occurs when one group of people use different forms of power to keep another group down in order to exploit them. The oppressor uses the power; the oppressed are exploited” (p. 133-134). Oppression must be by individual experience and not grouped into being the same for all. This includes understanding the original ideology of feminist theory being critiqued as only considering the experiences of middle class, white women. That black women, of lower class experienced oppression much different from the other women. Women are oppressed, thus has to be understood in a different construct that women are similar in some sources, experience of oppression but also experience oppression very differently from one individual to another. Feminist theories have further been expanded do its continuation throughout society and decades to encompass many more issues and arenas than just men and women relationships. Now it seeks to understand and address oppression based on culture, race, class, etc and not only for women but for all. Therefore, Bishop (2014) outlines five components that seem common to all forms of oppression and serve to maintain its presence in society.

Feminist theory aims to understand the nature of gender inequality and focuses on gender politics, power relations and sexuality. Feminist political activism campaigns on issues such as reproductive rights, domestic violence, maternity leave, equal pay, sexual harassment, discrimination and sexual violence. Themes explored in feminism include discrimination, stereotyping, objectification, sexual objectification, oppression and