The Problem With the Phrase Women and Minorities: Intersectionality—an Important Theoretical Framework for Public Health

Lisa Bowleg

doi:10.2105/ajph.2012.300750

journal article Jul 01, 2012

The Problem With the Phrase Women and Minorities: Intersectionality—an Important Theoretical Framework for Public Health

Lisa Bowleg

American Journal of Public Health Vol. 102 No. 7 pp. 1267-1273 · American Public Health Association

View at Publisher Save 10.2105/ajph.2012.300750

Abstract

Intersectionality is a theoretical framework that posits that multiple social categories (e.g., race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status) intersect at the micro level of individual experience to reflect multiple interlocking systems of privilege and oppression at the macro, social-structural level (e.g., racism, sexism, heterosexism). Public health’s commitment to social justice makes it a natural fit with intersectionality’s focus on multiple historically oppressed populations. Yet despite a plethora of research focused on these populations, public health studies that reflect intersectionality in their theoretical frameworks, designs, analyses, or interpretations are rare. Accordingly, I describe the history and central tenets of intersectionality, address some theoretical and methodological challenges, and highlight the benefits of intersectionality for public health theory, research, and policy.

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Details

Published: Jul 01, 2012
Vol/Issue: 102(7)
Pages: 1267-1273

Authors

L

Lisa Bowleg

Lisa Bowleg is with the Department of Community Health and Prevention, School of Public Health, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA.

Cite This Article

Lisa Bowleg (2012). The Problem With the Phrase Women and Minorities: Intersectionality—an Important Theoretical Framework for Public Health. American Journal of Public Health, 102(7), 1267-1273. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2012.300750

The Problem With the Phrase Women and Minorities: Intersectionality—an Important Theoretical Framework for Public Health

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