The intersectional approach brings together a person’s multiple social identities and reveals that a person’s experience is not static but changes depending on the context. This approach demonstrates how the same characteristics can simultaneously confer advantages and impose limitations in different geographical or social environments. Underlying this analysis is the understanding that privilege and marginalization often coexist, determining each person’s access to resources and influence in society.
The Wheel of Power: Social Positioning
To better understand these processes, one can use the concept of the “Wheel of Power and Privilege.” At its center lies power, and surrounding it are various sectors that make up every person’s identity. These include, for example, skin color, level of education, physical abilities, sexual orientation, mental health, neurotypicality, and even citizenship and language proficiency. Each of these sectors is divided into levels that indicate the degree to which a given characteristic is distant from the core of social influence.
For example, in the education sector, the greatest social weight is carried by academic degrees, while secondary or primary education remain on the periphery. In terms of physical abilities, people without disabilities occupy a position closest to the center of power, while those with partial or significant disabilities face more barriers.
Rethinking Prejudices Through the Lens of Diversity
Adopting an intersectional perspective requires recognizing the complexity of human relationships. Instead of thinking in isolated categories and stereotypes, this approach encourages the search for connections between different aspects of life. It is important to acknowledge that an objective view of the world is difficult to achieve, as knowledge is always shaped by one’s social position. Privilege is not a tool for exerting pressure, but rather a resource that often remains invisible to those who possess it.
Recognizing these advantages allows them to be used to create a more equitable environment. This includes developing inclusive policies that take into account the unique experiences of people from diverse backgrounds. Once we understand that perceptions are situated within a specific social context, it becomes easier to build empathy for those who navigate life with a greater number of systemic barriers.
The Role of the Ally and the Power of Action
Having privilege is not a cause for guilt, but an opportunity for action. A key step is to acknowledge these privileges and use them to amplify the voices of those who are rarely heard in the public sphere. Choosing to step into the role of an ally means actively supporting others and striving to change the environment so that it becomes more accessible to everyone.
Active allyship involves noticing and challenging discrimination as it occurs. This includes providing a platform for people from marginalized groups and actively seeking ways to remove the barriers they face. When the advantages of some are used to support others, bridges are built and conditions are created for collective action that transforms society and the workplace into more inclusive spaces.
