community toolkit 8

Intersectional Feminism: The Framework We Need to Thrive

Intersectional feminism isn’t just a concept—it’s a movement, a lens, and a powerful call for justice. Coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989, intersectionality recognizes that identities are shaped by overlapping factors like race, class, sexuality, gender, ability, and more. These intersections create unique experiences of discrimination, where the whole is far more complex than the sum of its parts.

Toolkit #8 dives deep into how discrimination doesn’t hit everyone equally. Instead, it layers, intensifies, and manifests differently based on the unique identities we hold.

In India, intersectional feminism confronts the country’s complex social landscape—where caste, economic status, gender, religion, and other axes of identity intersect to shape lives. Activists and scholars, inspired by Crenshaw’s work, are advocating for the most marginalized: Dalits, Adivasis, LGBTQ+ communities, religious minorities, and persons with disabilities.

By recognizing and addressing intersecting forms of oppression, intersectional feminism offers a powerful framework for challenging systems of power and promoting a more just society.

This toolkit explores intersectional feminism in India, covering:

• The Gender Wage Gap

• Women in Governance

• Access to Quality Education

• Systemic Discrimination

• Reproductive Rights

• Street Harassment

• Climate Justice

• Media Representation

  … and so much more!

The goal isn’t to compete over who faces the most discrimination. It’s to recognize the layered, complex nature of oppression and fight for solutions that are as multifaceted as the people they impact.

Intersectional feminism isn’t just theory—it’s the roadmap to a more just, inclusive future.