How-To: Feminism

Chapter Two: Intersectionality...

Intersectionality is potentially the most important concept to understand when it comes to postmodern feminism.

Intersectionality is the idea that gender intersects with other positions of identity; it is vital to note that many, if not all, of these groups are marginalised.

These include (but are not limited to): race, religion, sexuality, class, ability, etc..

The power dynamic between all groups is highly complex and situational. Marginalisation is not unidirectional; it is important to establish the multiple dimensions of oppression.

The marginalisation that people face is not about quantity, but rather quality. For example, a black man + a white woman ≠ a black woman.

'Black men may be victimised by racism, but sexism allows them to act as exploiters and oppressors of women. White women may be victimised by sexism, but racism enables them to act as exploiters and oppressors of black people.'

~ [B. Hooks, Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center, 1984, pp 16.]

It is important to consider the multiple facets of oppression of marginalised individuals as a whole, whilst also remembering the implications of our own privilege.

To look at the second-wave of feminism in Australia (whilst critical, however lacking it may be), noting the differences between white women and Aboriginal women is essential to understanding how race and gender intersect.

Whilst white women were looking for the right to take their sexuality into their own hands (the introduction of the contraceptive pill, abortion rights, etc.), indigenous women were seeking the right to not be seen as sexually available to white men.

In this time, white men took it upon themselves to 'breed out the black'. They justified their actions by claiming salvation from Aboriginal men who were seen as savages [G. C. Spivak, 'Can the Subaltern Speak?', Colonial Discourse and Post-Colonial Theory: A Reader, eds, P. Williams & L. Chrisman, pp. 93].

(Dispicable, I know. The fact that a lot of this part of history has been erased and is not common knowledge to general public genuinely sickens me.)

The focus on patriarchal oppression of women completely invalidated the oppression indigenous people experienced where white women held positional privilege and became the oppressors.

Applying this theory in a more modern context, the recent U.S. election between Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton highlights brilliantly the need for intersectionality in post-feminism.

A whopping 78% of LGBTQIA+ identifiers voted for Clinton compared to only 14% for Trump. Similarly, 53% of white women voted for Trump compared to only 4% of black women, and 26% of Latina women (of any race) [M. Strickland, Produced by J. Huang, S. Jacoby, & K.K. Rebecca Lai, 'Election 2016: Exit Polls, The New York Times, Nov. 8 2016].

These statistics highlight the need for intersectional discourse within the post-feminism discussion. White women did not consider the rights of black, and Latina women, just as heterosexual people did not consider the rights of LBGTQIA+ members.

Oppression is also experienced in other marginalised individuals by differently-marginalised people; able-bodied women, regardless of race, have positional power over disabled people. Just like heterosexual women have positional power over homosexual men.

As a society, we have deemed the ideal person to be a white, heterosexual, able-bodied, high-class, cis-man.

This myth has been perpetrated and translated throughout history. Despite all groups of people being present throughout all periods of time, the domination and objectification of all marginalised groups of people have hindered our ability to grow.

It is important to acknowledge how marginalised groups intersect with each other in order to recognise the societal changes that are necessary for growth.

White women may currently be fighting for the right for equal pay/equal opportunities in the workplace, but black women may currently be fighting for the right to wear their natural hair.

It is not simple to say that all women are fighting for the same things, because it is simply not the case. It is essential that we acknowledge and listen to other marginalised groups of people and what they are fighting for, even if it means stepping outside of your comfort zone.

For white women, police brutality has not been an issue. For heterosexual women, discrimination based on sexuality has never been an issue. For cis-women, the right to go to their preferred bathroom has never been an issue.

People are and always will be fighting for different rights. To not acknowledge this is to deny the simple fact that as different individuals, we don't all experience life in the same way.