What is Intersectional Feminism?

The term was coined by legal scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989. She described intersectionality as: “A prism for seeing the way in which various forms of inequality often operate together and exacerbate each other.” 

Right now, the world is caught in a moment of regression, division, and for many fear. We know that 1 in 3 women will experience violence in their lifetime. This rises for those who are indigenous, disabled or LBTQI+. 

Far right ideologies are fueling the erosion of human rights and environmental justice across the world. Geopolitical tensions are rising, and peace is fragile. Rates of femicide have risen in Kenya and, in Afghanistan, women continue to have their rights and freedoms stolen and their identities erased from society by the Taliban. 

In the UK, Black women are six times more likely to experience serious birth complications than white women. Only 5 per cent of girls feel completely safe in public spaces. 

Though men are more likely to experience  substance abuse and more likely to die by suicide than women, only 36 per cent of referrals for therapy to the NHS are from men.  

While these statistics are true, they don’t tell the full story. At the root of this all, is patriarchy and all that it fuels and reinforces. And it’s harming everyone. 

So, what is the antidote? How can we envision something different, fairer and better? Something other than the patriarchal system that isn’t working? Feminism. 

Feminism means equality for all people, regardless of gender and is built on community, equity and inclusion. It envisions a world where people of all genders thrive together, in antiracist and decolonized societies. In this world, people and planet are prioritized over profit. Here, there’s no room for unequal power structures, hate or division but instead, unity, collaboration and strength.