Intersectionality in Psychology: A Rainbow Perspective

You may or may not have come across the buzzword ‘intersectionality’. Community organisations have called for its consideration and implementation into their work approach and for-profit companies have been moved to ensure intersectionality is included across all their departments and teams. Government sectors have been fastidiously changing their frameworks where possible to have an intersectional lens. Intersectionality is more than the exploration of systemic oppression and marginalisation as experienced by individuals with multiple, marginalised identities. It is also about the exploration of the social, political and ideological context in which these identities intersect. A marginalised identity in one social context can be positioned at the top of the power hierarchy in a different context. This means that intersectionality should be seen as a lens to investigate complexity, rather than a tool that provides the ‘fix’ to addressing this complexity.