Why Your Feminism Should be Intersectional

Feminism is the belief women and men should have equal rights across the board. That seems like a good cause, right? In its conception, it was, but then, it became something that left out entire groups of women; an exclusive movement. Throughout the years, mainstream feminism has been applicable only to middle-class, educated, white women. As we all know, not everyone fits into this category (lol, I sure don’t). This fact left many non-white women wondering where they fit into the fight for equality of the sexes, which got an extraordinary woman named Kimberle Crenshaw thinking. Ms. Crenshaw coined the term intersectionality in feminism. Intersectionality in feminism is the idea that women have overlapping identities, and these overlaps affect the way they experience oppression.

First wave feminism was the era of suffrage. I’m sure you learned about women like Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton when you were taught about the women’s suffrage movement. You were most likely taught that these were two progressive women who were not willing to give up the fight for equality of the sexes; and that true….partly. Women like these two beyond famous ones, were definitely progressive in the sense that they wanted the right to vote, but they openly talked about the fact that black people were not and should not be seen as equals to white women. When the discussed equality, they meant white women becoming equal to white men. Crazy, right?

As we have moved forward on the feminist movement, the list of “equality issues”” has gotten longer. We’ve begun to demand equal pay, equal opportunity, and even equal respect, but unfortunately, the inclusion of different types of women in mainstream feminism hasn’t happened yet. In the fight for equal pay, for example, you often hear the statistic that women on average make 81% of what men do, but surprise surprise, that’s only the number for white women. The disparities for black and hispanic women are even worse. Black women, on average make about 65% of what white men do, and hispanic women approximately 59%. Now, don’t get me wrong, any disparity is an issue, but I find it to be quite problematic that we aren’t hearing about the issues that women of color are facing. The wage gap is just one example, there’s more in reproductive rights, sexual violence issues, and more. Keep in mind, I’m just addressing things that women of color have to deal with, I haven’t even mentioned the issues that disabled women, LGBTQ+ women, and women with low incomes have to face day by day.

Intersectional feminism is simply the inclusion of all women in the fight for equal rights. It’s not hard and it’s not challenging, it’s simply inclusive. If we, as women, want change, if we want equal rights, we have to be on a united front. We have to stand together, no matter our race, sexual orientation, or class in order to achieve the equality that we all deserve. Remember, if your feminism isn’t intersectional, then it’s usless.