How to be an Intersectional Feminist this International Women's Day

“I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.” - Audre Lorde

The International Women’s Day (IWD) Organisation states its aim is to ‘forge women’s equality’ and this equality is two-fold. First is equality between men and women, and second is equality between women because not every woman is the same. Each woman has her own set of qualities, experiences, and characteristics that form a personal identity. Each of these identities come with their own biases, both good and bad.

However, the conversations that arise from IWD are often dominated by the first interpretation. While this is an important aspect of women’s equality, it fails to address all the issues women face. Women’s intersecting identities can often have the effect of compounding discrimination which is where Intersectional Feminism comes in.

What is Intersectionality?

Intersectionality was coined in 1989 by Kemberlè Crenshaw. It is a framework that explains how people’s intersecting identities (including gender, sexuality, ethnicity, disability, socioeconomic status, religion, marital or parental status, migration or refugee status and aboriginality) relate to systems of oppression, privilege and bias.

How to be an Intersectional Feminist Ally

Critical Reflection

Reflect on your own experiences, both with oppression and privilege. Often, it is easier to draw from your own past oppressive experiences as they have an obvious and harmful impact on your life. You should take the time to research and recognise your own privilege too. These are often the aspects of your life that you take for granted, that too have an impact on your life, you just haven’t realised it. For example, if you come from a middle to upper-class family you may never know the feeling of wondering if you have enough money for dinner. Or, if you are heterosexual, you may engage in PDA without a second thought about how others may react.

Support the Marginalised

There are a variety of ways that you can support marginalised groups. You can listen to them with your full attention when they are sharing their struggles or stories. You can amplify their voices or promote their cause by sharing it with others. You can be conscious of where you spend your money or seek out festivals that celebrate marginalised people. You can also focus on decentering yourself from feminist discourse if you have historically been represented as the main face of the movement.

‘Ask the Other Question’

This is a method of understanding Intersectionality and how different systems of oppression work together, suggested by Mari Matsuda. It involves asking what other oppressive systems exist. For example, when you see something sexist, ask “where is the homophobia?”.

As Dr Helena Liu writes in her Intersectional feminist blog, Disorient, you can also ‘Ask the other Question’ when it comes to something empowering. She states that when you see something that looks feminist, ask “Where is the white supremacy, cisnormativity, heterosexism, classism, and ableism in this?” This isn’t searching for negativity, but rather embracing things that bring real positive change. Often times we look at content that seems progressive, but through critical lenses, we can challenge our standards of progression and find ways to elevate that standard.

Understand the Power of Words

Words can cut deep. So as you take this journey of allyship, think about the words you use. Learn about microaggressions and how to avoid them. Sometimes we may not even realise that we are being microaggressive. Sexist microaggressions can sound like ‘sissy’, ‘slut’,? ‘bossy’ or assumptions like women are more emotional. Note that just because something is called a microaggression, doesn’t mean that it is small in impact. It only means it is subtle and often goes unnoticed.

Being an ally is an ongoing responsibility that should not start and end with International Women’s Day (8th March) or Women’s History Month (March).

So, as we make efforts to reflect and discuss discrimination and bias, particularly in the workplace, make sure to keep in mind all women and, their unique experiences and identities.