Intersectionality

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

A framework for understanding how overlapping social identities — such as race, gender, class, and sexuality — combine to create unique systems of discrimination or privilege

History and origin

Coined by legal scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989

Examples

• Intersectionality helps explain why Black women face a distinct set of challenges not fully captured by analyses of race or gender alone.
• The intersectionality of poverty and disability creates compounding barriers to healthcare access.