International Women’s Day & Intersectionality

Tomorrow, March 8, is International Women’s Day (IWD), a day to recognize and celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women around the world. It’s about accelerating equality and highlighting the work that still needs to be done. This year’s theme focuses on “Inspiring Inclusion,” or in other words, it emphasizes intersectionality when recognizing women’s contributions and issues, including those from marginalized communities.

According to American Civil Rights Advocate, Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw who coined the term in 1989, “intersectionality is the study of overlapping or intersecting social identities and related systems of oppression, domination, or discrimination.” Our different social identities all intersect and engage with power structures. So when discussing feminist issues, such as pay inequality or access to equitable medical care, the framework of intersectionality is crucial because not all inequality is equal. When looking at the pay gap, for example, Black and Hispanic women earn even less than white women. Race is just one of the many examples. Gender, class, ability, sexuality, religion, immigrant status—among others—all play a vital role in the fight for women’s equality.

If you’re interested in learning more about International Women’s Day and its theme of “Inspire Inclusion,” check out the talks featured in the 2024 UMN International Women's Day Event Series:

• Development-Induced Displacement and Women and Children's Well-Being: Evidence from the Brazilian Amazon
• BIRCWH Visiting Scholar Seminar: Breast Cancer Disparities in Transgender and Gender Diverse Individuals
• IWD 2024 | Empowering Women, Transforming Lives: A Global Celebration of Safe Motherhood
• The Rights of Nature vs. Human Rights?