Personal identities include many aspects. An intersectional approach is important because inequalities are a result of the intersections of different social locations and power relations.
We often assume that our work or our policies apply to everyone equally and there are no gender or diversity issues to consider. Incorrect assumptions can lead to unintended and unequal impacts on particular groups of people. You can begin to challenge your assumptions by asking these questions:
- Do I believe that the issues I work on are gender neutral? Or culturally neutral? Ability neutral? Is this based solely on my own experience?
- Is it possible that my assumptions prevent me from asking questions and hearing or understanding answers that are outside my own experience?
- How might attitudes and norms – my own, those of my organization, and those of the institutions and society that surround me – limit the range of policy options I consider and propose?
(From the Government of Canada, Apply GBA+ to your work)
Further resources:
- What is gender? What is sex? Canadian Institutes of Health Research
- Everyone Belongs: A Toolkit for Applying Intersectionality, Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women (CRIAW)
- Guide For Syllabi On Intersectionality, Gender & Society in the Classroom (2017)
- Supporting LGBTQ Youth (list of resources and organizations), Harvard’s Making Caring Common Project
- The Safe Space Kit: Guide to Being an Ally to LGBT Students, A Guide to Supporting Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Students in Your School, GLSEN (2016)
- GBA+ (Gender-Based Analysis Plus) Approach, Government of Canada
- GBA+ (Gender-Based Analysis Plus) Research Guide, Government of Canada
- A Teaching Tolerance Guide for School Leaders: Best Practices: Creating an LGBT-inclusive School Climate
- Backgrounder: Talking about gender identity and gender expression, Ontario Human Rights Commission
- Diversity at Work: Creating an inclusive and supportive work environment, HR Council for the Nonprofit Sector