DEI DEI Intersectionality and Identity

Question 1

Who coined the term 'intersectionality' and in what context?

Accepted Answer

Kimberlé Crenshaw, in analyzing Black women's legal discrimination cases

Answer

Legal scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw introduced 'intersectionality' in 1989 to describe how Black women faced discrimination that was not captured by race-only or gender-only legal frameworks.

Question 2

What does intersectionality explain about identity in a DEI context?

Accepted Answer

That individuals hold multiple social identities that interact to shape unique experiences of privilege and disadvantage

Answer

Intersectionality holds that social identities such as race, gender, class, and ability overlap to create distinct and compounded experiences that cannot be understood by examining any single identity dimension alone.

Question 3

Which of the following best illustrates intersectional disadvantage in the workplace?

Accepted Answer

A Black woman being passed over for promotion despite qualifications, in a pattern not seen for white women or Black men separately

Answer

When a pattern of disadvantage appears only at the intersection of race and gender—not for either group alone—it is a textbook example of intersectional discrimination.

Question 4

Why is a single-axis diversity framework considered insufficient according to intersectionality theory?

Accepted Answer

It treats identity categories as mutually exclusive and misses compounded disparities

Answer

Single-axis frameworks analyze one identity dimension at a time, which erases the experiences of people whose disadvantage stems from the combination of multiple marginalized identities.

Question 5

How does intersectionality apply to DEI program design?

Accepted Answer

Programs should consider how different combinations of identities create distinct barriers that require tailored solutions

Answer

Intersectional program design acknowledges that a single intervention cannot address the compound barriers faced by employees who hold multiple marginalized identities.

DEI - DEI Awareness Professional Practice Test

DEI - DEI Awareness Professional Practice Test

DEI DEI Intersectionality and Identity