Intersectional Identities Research Articles

Exploring Socio-Political Factors and Quality of Life Among LGBT Individuals in India

ABSTRACT The quality of life of queer individuals in India is a result of a complex sociopolitical climate which is what this study aims to explore through qualitative methodology. Previous research has explored the social factors that impact the wellbeing of LGBT individuals in western countries, while the impact of politics on the wellbeing of marginalized groups is still largely unexplored. Through thematic analysis, this study found that family support and peer networks are the two most important social structures that determine the quality of life of LGBT emerging adults in India, whereas the impact of politics on wellbeing depends on the level of political awareness of the participants and their socio-political privilege in terms of caste, class and gender. However, there were significant differences in the relevant factors that affect the quality of life for cisgender and transgender participants which leaves room for further research. The findings indicate intra-community conflicts and changing dynamics within the community, and there needs to be extensive research on understanding the intersectionality of different identities within the community and their impact on the lives of queer individuals.

Diasporic Cosmopolitanism and Digital (Dis)Connectivity Among Turkish Women in Rome

This study advances the field of disconnection studies by examining how digital (dis)connective practices intersect with diasporic identity construction and the articulation of belonging, focusing on the experiences of Turkish migrant women in Rome. Based on in-depth interviews and participant observation with 10 Turkish women, the research highlights the central role of social class in the emergence of a “diasporic cosmopolitan” identity that is culturally and socially detached from, or even opposed to, their national identity. It further shows how this “cosmopolitan” identity intersects with the performance of specific digital (dis)connective practices and explores the cultural, political, and social dimensions of these dynamics. Particular attention is given to the influence of contemporary Turkish politics on online and offline diasporic sociality, which fosters tensions and segmented solidarities. Through this lens, the study identifies emergent forms of digital (dis)connective practices among Turkish women in Rome, which shape transnational and local social alliances and disruptions.

The Burden Mothers Bear: Using the Health Belief Model to Understand How U.S. Mothers’ Intersectional Identities Shape Health Decision-Making During COVID-19

ABSTRACT The disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on people of color and the burden placed on mothers created a need to better understand how mothers of color made health decisions for their families and communicated these decisions with others during the pandemic. This study investigated how this populations’ intersectional identities played a role in their health decision-making processes and overall experiences during COVID-19. Using the health belief model as a sensitizing concept, we conducted qualitative in-depth interviews with mothers of color across the United States about their lived experiences during the pandemic. Our findings suggest a need for health communicators to address the overburdening of mothers of color during crises, with special attention to self-efficacy messages that aim to reduce this burden and recognizing the role that intersectional identities play in the health decision-making process.

Misrepresentation or inclusion: promises of generative artificial intelligence in climate change education

ABSTRACT Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, including large language models (LLMs) that can generate novel text output, present promise for creating tailored science communication for broad audiences. However, LLMs might reflect inaccuracies and social biases from their training sources. In this work, we examine the promises and challenges of using LLMs to depict climate issues from intersectional perspectives. We prompt an LLM (GPT-4) to generate content about localized climate issues and simulate different communication mediums and intersectional identities. We conduct content analysis of the responses, drawing from Intersectional Climate Justice and Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies frameworks. Findings suggest that the LLM-created responses can restate climate justice principles in the prompts and do not frequently show inaccuracy. However, they may lack elaboration, show deficit framing, and overlook identity aspects. We discuss suggestions from critical education research, to question the assumptions underlying AI technologies and explore ways to promote inclusive climate education.

Analysis of Bias in International Education from the Perspective of Intersectionality Theory

International students encounter more psychological, structural, and social challenges that negatively affect their mental health, academic engagement, and college readiness. Collectively, these challenges have a crucially negative effect on their academic achievement. To be specific, previous researchers often attribute international students' lower academic performance to experiences of sexism or racism alone. However, intersectionality theory suggests that harmful stereotypes can compound and lead to heightened discrimination; for instance, black female students experience significantly more discrimination than white male students, thereby considerably limiting their opportunities to achieve excellent academic success and engage in university social activities. Thus, by reviewing previous findings, the current study argues that the multiple disadvantaged identities of international students compound to negatively affect their academic performance, particularly when they have intersections of both underprivileged gender and race. The current study highlights the critical role of intersectional identities in international students' differential vulnerability, making them more vulnerable to intersectional biases than native students. Furthermore, the up-to-date intervention proposed to promote education equity for international students is discussed. Fortunately, numerous classroom designs attempt to engage international students in classroom education and are deployed to satisfy international students' diverse needs, the most sophisticated of which is the flipped classroom.

Strategic intersectional identity management strategies amidst identity threats: insights from U.S. Latina nonprofit CEOs

PurposeThis study identifies the strategic intersectional identity management (SIIM) behaviors that Latina nonprofit CEOs engage in to navigate hegemonic spaces.Design/methodology/approachData were collected via semi-structured life history interviews with Latina CEOs of nonprofit organizations and analyzed using critical race feminist thematic analysis grounded in critical race theory (CRT), Latinx Critical Legal (LatCrit) theory and feminist theory. Counterstorytelling methods reveal Latina CEOs’ SIIM behaviors and challenge dominant narratives of leadership.FindingsLatina CEOs recounted experiences of identity threats and their identity manifestations and suppression strategies within five contexts: white supremacy hotbeds, liberal white supremacist spaces, pan-ethnic Latinx communities, white feminist spaces and women of color (WOC)-led workplaces.Research limitations/implicationsThis study focuses on Latina CEOs of nonprofits, a distinct context which shares many similarities with for-profit CEO roles. We use a small sample size that, while appropriate for our methodology, limits generalizability.Practical implicationsThis research provides valuable insights for practitioners, including board members, donors, staff and coalition partners. It highlights the need for changes in board development, funder education and transformative allyship among coalition partners.Originality/valueThis paper offers SIIM as a way to challenge monolithic constructions of Latinidad and advocates for intersectional analyses and nuance when studying and supporting Latina leaders.

A confession of a ‘non-native’ speaker: negotiating a socially stigmatised identity

ABSTRACT This autoethnographic study explores the complex intersection of identity, language, and marginalisation as experienced by a ‘non-native’ Russian individual of Chuvash ethnicity. Through personal narrative, I trace my journey of navigating this socially stigmatised identity shaped by ideologies of language standardisation and exclusion. The study engages with co-cultural theory to analyse the strategies I employed to cope with and resist otherisation within the dominant Russian society. Additionally, it draws parallels with the global experiences of non-native speakers, particularly in the context of language-based discrimination in employment. By critically examining the role of ethnicity and language in defining ‘nativeness’, the article reveals the pervasive stigmatisation faced by non-Slavic, non-Russian individuals. The study contributes to the broader discourse on identity, offering insights into the lived realities of marginalised groups and highlighting the necessity of inclusive practices. Ultimately, it seeks to foster understanding and empathy towards those navigating complex identities in ethnically diverse societies.

Internalised misogyny and intragroup discrimination: a critical discourse analysis of anti-gender equality comments on Nigerian female blogs

ABSTRACT This study examines the discursive structures and strategies used by Nigerian female blog users to legitimise gender inequality. Through a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) of 253 comments from five Nigerian-authored blogs, the study complicates celebratory approaches that conceptualise digital spaces as places for marginalised women to fight against sexism since they unravel ideological conceptions within female ‘counter-publics’ that rationalise un-equal gender relations. This refutes the belief that the struggle against gender discrimination only involves binary categories such as ‘men versus women’ or ‘women versus patriarchy’, spotlighting the self-limiting role of women in gender activism. The study demonstrates that understudying intra-group discrimination helps to understand and define inequality within specific contexts. Specifically, othering, classifying and categorising are inherent meaning-making traits that define intra-group dynamics and must be embraced and studied as contextual peculiarities that aid the understanding of given socio-cultural practices. This research underscores the usefulness of CDA in unpacking the intersections of culture, ideology, identity and language within multi-layered counter-public discourse, highlighting implications in social justice campaigns and the attainment of gender parity.

At the Starting Line

This qualitative phenomenological study examined the college transition experience of Black female student-athletes at a private, Mid-Atlantic, predominantly White, National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I institution. Until recently, Black women who are student-athletes have mainly been subsets of larger studies. By centering their transition experiences, this research investigated their lived experiences. The research aimed to fill a gap in the literature and to identify themes for further study of the college transition. In the spring of 2022, participants (N = 6) completed a brief demographic questionnaire and took part in one-on-one, semi-structured interviews designed to explore the first-year transition to college from a student-athlete perspective. Through descriptive phenomenological analysis, particular attention was given to how student-athletes integrate socially, academically, and athletically in college, with an awareness that the intersectionality of identity for Black women at a predominantly White institution (PWI) might impact that experience of campus integration. Five key themes emerged from the participants’ experiences: (a) challenges to connecting, (b) expectations versus experiences, (c) support and positive development, (d) community and belonging, and (e) self-empowerment. The results were reported through a lens of re-evaluating first-year onboarding and support services for Black female student-athletes at a PWI.

Embodied Solidarity: Feminist Care and Vulnerability in Parisian Squats

Squatting has long been a strategy of migrant solidarity in urban areas. Whilst researchers in the past have focused on squats as sites of autonomous solidarity and as alternatives to state and/or humanitarian infrastructures of reception, little has been written on the care practices taking place within their walls. Based on militant ethnographic fieldwork and interviews, this article highlights the transformative social and political potentialities of care practices within squats. I focus on how the binary of provider/recipient of care is blurred in squats as intersectional identities allow for greater fluidity in identifying who can and cannot engage in care practices. As such, I argue that squats serve a role as an infrastructure of care within broader networks of solidarity while also emphasizing the way in which they enact an ethics of care revolving around radical inclusion.

Liminal Solidarity: How Ukrainian Refugee Mothers Negotiate Situational Kinship in a Collective Reception Centre in Belgium

While solidarity practices among refugees have increasingly drawn scholars' interest, hardly any research has addressed the complex relationships between refugee women in the specific context of collective reception centres. At the same time, there has not been accounted for the way in which specific intersectional identities of refugee mothers shape mutual solidarity. Literature on refugee solidarity often analyses solidarity with an overdetermined political reading, which precludes the context in which solidarity emerges from being adequately researched. Based on my ethnographic research with Ukrainian refugee mothers in an emergency reception centre in Belgium, I propose a conceptualisation of solidarity that acknowledges that overlapping, intersectional identities do not automatically generate belonging. I argue for employing a situated intersectional lens (Yuval-Davis, 2015), and combining 'situational kinship' (Nelson, 2013) with 'resilient moves' (Groeninck et al., 2020) in order to grasp how the mothers’ navigating of the specific liminal and intersectional context of the reception centre, produced everyday practices of solidarity.

“It takes a village to raise a leader”

Women constitute most health workers, yet they hold proportionately fewer leadership positions. The literature is replete with normative advice to address gender specific barriers to women’s leadership; less attention is paid to the processes women undertake on their paths to leadership. We describe the leadership journeys of 23 women leaders in the health sector in Canada, guided by a multi-layered framework of barriers and enablers. A thematic analysis of 11 semi-structured interviews and 13 public presentations on leadership journeys was conducted, which applied a priori and emerging themes to segments of the transcripts using NVivo 12. Three key themes emerged: impetus for leadership journey, enablers to leadership development, and barriers to advancement. Women leaders reported a variety of reasons to embark on their leadership journey from their own desire to make a difference to being tapped on the shoulder by mentors and sponsors. Many of the barriers faced were specific to their intersectional identities where they often juggled the complex demands of gender role expectations, while maintaining personal and familial mental health and well-being. The multi-layered framework of important factors was validated and improved. Better understanding women’s leadership journeys needs to capture processual and structural dimensions. Keywords: Women Leaders, Leadership Journeys, Health Care, Health Sciences

Supervisor Authority and its Impacts on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Athletic Training.

The demographic landscape of the United States is changing daily and the demand for representation in todays workforce is both a moral and practical imperative for creating workplaces diverse in thought, expression, and people. The purpose of this study was to investigate workplace culture and the direct and indirect influence of supervisors on inclusion of minoritized communities, including those who have experienced marginalization for race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, age, marital status, ability, sexual orientation, sex, gender, gender identity and expression, socioeconomic status, spirituality, political affiliation, literacy, or the intersectionality of multiple identities. Consensual qualitative research study. Semi-structured interview. Eighteen participants were recruited through direct contact via their public domain email addresses that are located on college/university websites. Demographic data was collected through a web-based recruitment survey which was also used to schedule a semi-structured interview. We used the multi-phased CQR tradition to identify domains and categories representative of the data. Three domains emerged. The environment domain spoke to the culture each supervisor created through relationship building and intention; intention was further characterized as active or passive behaviors whereby almost all pa rticipants described both. Only one-third of participants referenced DEIA policies and procedures within their organization. The resources domain represented the existence and awareness of organizational DEIA resources, or lack thereof. The perceptions domain characterized the beliefs of the supervisors relative to DEIA. Structural efforts must include the creation and implementation of policies and procedures for employee inclusion, not just patient inclusion. The awareness and use of organizational resources is an important component to support supervisor efforts and should be leveraged from within the unit.

Caste, Gender and the Development Interface: A Study of Vikas Mitra Scheme Among Musahar Women in Bihar

In an effort to develop the disadvantaged dalit population, the Bihar Government introduced a category called ‘Mahadalit’. Under the rubric of this nomenclature, many schemes have been introduced to uplift the Mahadalits, including the Musahars, often described as ‘dalit among dalits’. One such scheme is the Vikas Mitras scheme, which aims to appoint people from the Mahadalit population to the lowest position in the bureaucracy, envisioning them to emerge as ‘change agents’. In this scheme, fifty per cent of the positions are reserved for the Mahadalit women. The article presents an ethnographic study of the experiences of Musahar women navigating through the bureaucracy as Vikas Mitras while engaging with their intersectional identities related to caste, class and gender. The reflexive engagement with the scheme’s intent and reality on the field raises critical questions about the broader categories of development, empowerment, intersectionality and depoliticisation.

Unveiling Femininity: Gender, Fame, and Success in Taylor Jenkins Reid’s The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

The main objective of this research article is to explore the intersections of fame, femininity, and identity in Taylor Jenkins Reid's The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, examining how gendered power dynamics shape the life and choices of Evelyn Hugo, a fictional Hollywood icon. The narrative explores the cost of success for women in a patriarchal society as Evelyn navigates societal pressures and industry expectations through seven carefully chosen marriages and the maintenance of a glamorous, heterosexual public image. While Evelyn uses her relationships as strategic tools to rise in a male-dominated film industry, her true identity and love for actress Celia St. James reveal the limitations imposed by cultural and gendered expectations. Drawing on feminist theory, particularly the work of scholars like Sandra Gilbert, Susan Gubar, and Betty Friedan (1963). This research examines Evelyn's complex struggle for power, examining how fame acts as both an avenue for empowerment and a restrictive force. The study further explores the novel's depiction of femininity, love, and bisexuality, considering how Evelyn's life reflects broader themes of identity and the struggle for authenticity within oppressive structures. This paper ultimately questions the cost of success for women in environments where public personas must often overshadow personal truth, offering insights into the challenges of achieving selfhood in spaces prioritizing image over individuality.

Does Policy Translate into Equity? The Association between Universal Advanced Placement Access, Student Enrollment, and Outcomes

Participating in advanced placement (AP) can improve high school students’ cognitive and noncognitive outcomes. Despite nationwide efforts, including Arkansas's mandate for statewide AP access since 2003 and exam cost coverage since 2005, disparities in enrollment persist. Using multilevel modeling, we investigate the relation between student/school factors influencing AP enrollment and success. Female versus male (odds ratio [OR] = 1.68), Asian American versus White (OR = 1.90), identified-as-gifted (GT) versus nonidentified as gifted (OR = 1.58) had the highest enrollment odds. Students in the Free and Reduced Lunch program, English Language Learners, and Special education students face pronounced underrepresentation (OR = 0.62; 0.76; 0.10 respectively) to ever enroll in an AP class. Despite universal access across schools, AP enrollment is explained by school factors (proportion of FRL, GT, and student diversity). Our findings have implications to understand the critical intersectionality of student identities—socioeconomic status, language proficiency, and special education needs—influencing AP enrollment despite universal access.

“This is the World I Thought It Was.” Working with Emergent Adults Living at the Intersections of Queer and Racialized Identities During a Time of Anti-Trans Politics and Genocide

Youth living at the intersections of multiple marginalized identities are navigating a polarized context where civil liberties are threatened. The aim of this paper is to provide a theoretically framed illustration of how my practice has evolved since Fall 2023 through the genocide of Palestinians. I define and illustrate five theories that guide my work, and provide anti-oppressive occupational reformulations of witnessing and self-care. A liberatory occupational analysis of cultural activity highlights the centrality of history and rootedness in land, collective memory and storytelling, transgenerational continuity, and political resistance, for healing during a time of active traumatization.

From Sex Education to Sexualities Education: Navigating the Intersectionality of Queer Communities in Italy and the Netherlands

ABSTRACT This study aimed to explore the experiences, needs, and interests of queer people who are also neurodivergent, or live with a chronic illness or disability (i.e. IMMI: individuals with multi-minority identities) in Italy and the Netherlands. Five focus groups were conducted in Italy with 22 queer IMMI to identify their most relevant topics regarding and experiences with sex education. Building on the discussion topics of the focus groups, a survey in Italian and English was distributed via snowball sampling. The survey was created to explore the experiences related to sex education in the two countries. The final sample of respondents included 138 (97 Italian, 41 Dutch) queer IMMI. Results indicated that sex education received in both formal (e.g. school) and informal (e.g. family) contexts failed to include information that was sensitive and supportive of queer community’s experiences. Participants reported the need to explore more topics addressing the specific needs of different identity intersections. Cross-cultural differences related to the experiences of Italian and Dutch participants were found. Overall, current sex education in Italy and the Netherlands is far from meeting the sexual health needs of queer people living with different intersections. Practical implications are discussed.

Examining intersectionality of social identities in Birim Central Municipality in the Eastern Region of Ghana

Examining intersectionality of social identities in Birim Central Municipality in the Eastern Region of Ghana

Caste, class, race, and inequality: insights for economic policy

Abstract Disparities across social identity groups (such as race, caste, and ethnicity) are a global phenomenon, where significant differences in wealth and other socioeconomic outcomes are observed. Although the contexts and historical roots of these differences vary by country, there are common factors—particularly arising at the intersection of social identity and social class—that help explain the persistence of these inequalities. This issue of the Oxford Review of Economic Policy examines various dimensions of inequality tied to intergroup disparities and social hierarchy, drawing insights from policy responses across different contexts, countries, and regions. The article introduces stratification economics as a framework to understand these shared global patterns. It further reviews the papers published in the issue that explore topics such as social mobility, labour market discrimination, social exclusion, the role of artificial intelligence, the challenges associated with the interpretation and application of the law, the importance of data collection, and the role of existing and potential policy interventions (e.g. affirmative action and reparations) to address these persistent inequalities.