One of the major theories that have been captured in the compendium project titled “Examining the Structural Impact of Government-sanctioned Gender and White Supremacy on Minority Communities” is intersectionality. The theory was developed by Kimberly in 1989 and addresses how individuals in a minority group or gender can experience discrimination simultaneously in society. The concept of intersectionality upholds that an individual can possess multiple identities that can make them victims of discrimination depending on the perception of the society in which they live or work. However, the unique identities are not independent but rather interrelated and intersect to contribute to experiences of inequalities that a person may face (Yee, 2020). Hence, the theory highlights how discrimination can be manifested in various forms, that is, through racism, gender differences, social status, and sexuality, among others. Intersectionality provides an approach in which these factors intersect in society to bring about inequality in an individual or minor community. Therefore, this essay aims to discuss how the concepts of intersectionality manifest discrimination in society through the lenses of race, gender, and government policies and systemic structure. The paper will explore the historical aspects and contemporary examples that intersect to bring about the unique challenges of inequality for minority groups in society.
The intersection of race, gender, and government policies in perpetuating inequalities is evident across the globe and, specifically in the United States of America. Racism is the discrimination of an individual based on their skin tone. Individuals or minority groups that experience discrimination because of race are African Americans in the U.S. Gender, on the other hand, refers to the characteristic of being male or female. Gender disparities within a community are sometimes the source of discrimination, especially in the workplace during the distribution of roles. Female, in most instances, have found themselves in discriminatory situations because of their gender identities. Race and gender can make a government develop policies and systems that act against minority groups or marginalized individuals in the community. The systems of the government seem to increase the challenges faced by the minority due to the unique differences brought about by race and gender.
Gender and racism have been seen to manifest in society for centuries, and the government structure and system, both in the past and in the present, tend to give a deaf hear on the issue and even, at some point, promote it. The systemic oppression towards the marginalized community has been reinforced significantly by the government, hence increasing the challenges faced by these communities. There are several significant examples, both historically and in the current society, that signify how race, gender, and government structure have caused discrimination in society (Collins et al., 2021). The historical examples of such manifestation include the slavery and subjugation of black women in the United States of America. The black women during this historic period faced intersecting oppression as enslaved people and as women. The brutal labor exploitations, sexual violence, and systemic exploitation of their family bond are some of the major scenarios of how the government policies contributed to discrimination against women in the United States. In addition to this, there were several policies that the government developed to control the capture and return of the escaped enslaved people. One of the most well-known policies is the Fugitive Slave Act, which denied black women autonomy over their bodies and lives.
The second incident of intersectionality discrimination is that which happened during the Jim Crow Era, which was characterized by segregation laws that encouraged the separation of people of different races. People of varying races had their types of schools that were not well developed compared to those attended by the white race. The housing given to women during this era was of poor quality since most had no access to basic requirements such as water and electricity (Roberts et al., 2021). Black women encountered many challenges not only because of their race but also because of their gender orientation. In addition, women were the target of sexual violence by white men. Despite these incidents, there was no platform offered by the justice system where women could express their grievances about sexual assault. The legal systems and structure favored the whites and judged in their favor. Concerning the healthcare system, the government of the United States in the 20th century passed some discriminatory policies that barred women from reproducing. The black women were barred from having many children in order to regulate the size of this marginalized population. Activities such as sterilization programs that were subjected to women of color indicated the existence of discrimination due to race and gender differences within these marginalized communities.
Despite the several revolutions that have occurred in society, there are still instances in which the impact of intersectionality is seen. The discrimination against minority groups based on their gender and race is evident in modern society in the following ways. In several criminal justice cases, the system tends to penalize heavily individuals from the minority group, especially those of black skin color. In the United States of America, the victims were found guilty of offenses such as the use of drugs and substance abuse. Women of black color are usually subjected to harsh and stiff punishment by the courts as compared to white women with the exact charges (Sweeney, 2020). These injustices in the legal system have curtailed the rights of many black Americans, hence making the black community live in anxiety and fear of the uncertainties of their future. In the administration of health care services, the modern society of the states has placed a lot of restrictions on women of black race from accessing quality services during their gestational period. Nevertheless, the forced sterilization that was evident during the era of Jim Crow is still being practiced in the United States. These ill practices have reduced the number of children with black skin color.
The injustices and harsh punishment towards people of black color are indicated by the number of black people detained in the prisons. The prisons have been seen to have the highest number of black prisoners as compared to those with White backgrounds. Apart from the justice system, the education system has also been seen to display many inequalities that arise due to race and gender. In the contemporary education system, children of the black race have encountered various barriers to accessing education (Alvidrez et al., 2021). Most of them are not given the financial aid that is allocated to support those with economic challenges. As a result, the deprived financial support of the children of marginalized communities has ended up dropping out of school.
In contrast, others who manage to study under challenging conditions have performed poorly. Similarly, students from marginalized communities have been seen to be subjected to adverse disciplinary actions anytime they make a mistake at school. The harsh disciplinary measures have seen a significant number of black students being suspended and even expelled because of minor discipline issues that could have been solved easily without taking such steps.
Intersectionality has hurt the marginalized community. The issue has posed unique challenges to this group in the following manner. First, the double marginalization of the community in terms of gender and race has left many without jobs and employment. For example, women of black color have experienced rejection in job interviews due to their racial identity and gender. The sidelining of job opportunities has left many marginalized communities to experience economic difficulties due to a lack of finances and sources of income that can help them acquire their basic needs. Discrimination against black people has hindered them from accessing resources such as quality health services and justice, among other social amenities (Alvidrez et al., 2021). Additionally, such injustice in the systemic structure of the government has increased the vulnerability of the marginalized community to violence and exploitation. The intersectionality of race and gender has left the marginalized community on the bare ground where everyone from the white community could manipulate them without fear of facing the law. It makes the marginalized community to be susceptible to manipulation and victimization of any kind.
In summary, intersectionality and structural oppression can be demonstrated by examining the manifestation of racism and gender discrimination in the various structures of the government. Intersectionality has been noted to exist in society for centuries and has posed significant, unique challenges to marginalized communities. The historical and contemporary examples provided in this discussion are an indication that society is yet to get its foot out of the injustices and discrimination that are subjected to people of different races and genders. These examples include segregation laws that the United States passed that embraced discrimination by allowing the races to have their schools in what they termed as Separate but equal. However, in the schools that allowed mixed races, the black race ended up being subjected to harsh disciplinary measures such as suspension and expulsion over petty disciplinary cases. The increased discrimination from race and gender has posed unique challenges to marginalized groups. These challenges include limited access to various opportunities such as employment, healthcare services, education, and other social amenities. It has also increased the vulnerability of the community to facing different kinds of violence and victimization. As a result of this, the communities have ended up living in fear and anxiety of the anticipated risk of any kind, including sexual violence.
References
Yee, G. A. (2020). Thinking Intersectionally: Gender, Race, Class, and the Etceteras of Our Discipline. Journal of Biblical Literature, 139(1), 7–26. https://doi.org/10.1353/jbl.2020.0001
Collins, P. H., da Silva, E. C. G., Ergun, E., Furseth, I., Bond, K. D., & Martínez-Palacios, J. (2021). Intersectionality as Critical Social Theory. Contemporary Political Theory, 20(3), 690–725. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41296-021-00490-0
Roberts Forde, K., & Bedingfield, S. (Eds.). (2021). Journalism and Jim Crow. University of Illinois Press. https://doi.org/10.5622/illinois/9780252044106.001.0001
Sweeney, S. J. (2020). Black Women in Slavery and Freedom: Gendering the History of Racial Capitalism. American Quarterly, 72(1), 277–289. https://doi.org/10.1353/aq.2020.0014
Alvidrez, J., Greenwood, G. L., Johnson, T. L., & Parker, K. L. (2021). Intersectionality in Public Health Research: A View From the National Institutes of Health. American Journal of Public Health, 111(1), 95–97. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2020.305986
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