Intersection, Identity, and Engineering

The concept was developed by Kimberlé Crenshaw, and draws on her analysis of a 1970s discrimination claim brought by Emma DeGraffenreid. DeGraffenreid’s potential employer had successfully defended the claim, by pointing out that it was not racist—it employed Black men in production—and was not sexist—it employed white women in administration. But as a Black woman, DeGraffenreid was discriminated against due to the intersection of these two aspects of her identity.

 

Crenshaw’s work seeks to inform the justice system. But her insight that discrimination can be shaped by multiple facets of our complex identities, has much wider implications.

 

In this episode, produced in collaboration with Engineering Matters, we consider what this view of identity means for engineering workplaces, and the work engineers deliver.