Introduction to GBA Plus

Introduction to Intersectionality

As public servants, all of the work we do affects diverse groups of people. Because of the impacts of our work, we have to consider that groups of people are not homogeneous, as they have multiple, and diverse intersecting factors that impact how they understand, and experience government initiatives. Applying an intersectional approach helps you assess the potential impacts – positive or negative – of initiatives based on their multiple factors, enabling you to identify risks, and potential challenges at an early stage and create mitigation strategies. Applying an intersectional approach should be done at all stages of an initiative, from development to implementation. Considering and identifying the diversity and multiple factors of people helps us to innovate and to consider issues and policies in a different way.

It is essential to recognize that people have multiple and diverse factors that intersect to shape their perspectives, ideologies and experiences. For example, consider the multiple factors of an immigrant man with a disability. Rather than isolating the experience of being an immigrant from that of being a man from that of being a person with a disability, adopting an intersectional approach will enable you to see this individual as a whole being, with multiple simultaneous factors shaping who they are and their experience of the world.