intersectionalfeminismsblog

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How does Intersectional Feminism Play a Role in the Field of Social Work or the Medical Field?

To understand how intersectional feminism relates to the disparities within the field of social work and the medical field it is important to be reminded of what intersectional feminism is. 

Intersectional feminism can be thought of as feminism that incorporates varying groups of individual and supports change based on gender inequalities while also incorporating other aspects that cause discrimination (Dictionary.com, n.d.).

An important aspect of incorporating intersectional feminism into the fields of social work and the medical field to help reduce disparities is to recognize the influences that race, gender, and socioeconomic status have on these fields and the policies in place within these fields. As mentioned in previous posts, women and People of color are at a higher risk of experiencing domestic violence within their lifetime (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, n.d.)  Black women also face disparities within the medical field as Black women have the highest rate of birth related deaths compared to other races (Messing, 2020). 

While women, especially those women who are also People of Color face disparities within these fields, intersectional feminism can assist with the fight for the rights of women within these fields and also expose disparities that are at play that influence the statistical significance of these rates impacting women and People of Color. Those who utilize intersectional feminism can also evaluate the lack of individuals who are creating these policies that protect women and People of Color and can fight to incorporate more of these individuals into the writing of these policies. Messing (2020) reflects on this idea by examining the importance of creating a feminist-based approach to policies and interventions that aim to prevent sexual violence and domestic violence by allowing women to speak on their experiences and adapt policies to fit their needs.

Dictionary.com. (n.d.). Intersectional Feminism. In Dictionary.com dictionary. Retrieved May 5, 2021, from https://www.dictionary.com/. 

Messing, J.T. (2020). Mainstreaming gender: An intersectional feminist approach to the grand challenges for social work. Social Work, 65(4), 313-315.

National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. (n.d.). Domestic violence and the Black community [Data file]. Retrieved from

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While there is a defining factor of white supremacy within the field of social work, there is also a large influence of sexism within the programs offered for women and the policies that are made in order to protect women. Messing (2020) found that women face a disproportionate amount of consequences due to social programs, and are often at an increased risk of domestic or sexual violence. Looking at the impact that domestic violence has on women of color, it is shown that 45.1% of Black women experience a form of intimate physical or sexual violence (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, n.d.). Although women are at the forefront of being victims of this violence, there is a lack of female representation within the groups that hold the power to change policies that protect women (Messing, 2020). In 2021, the number of women who hold seats in the United States Congress is 142, this only comprises 26.5% of the total members of Congress. Of these 142 seats, only 49 of those women are People of Color (Rutgers, 2021). Because there is a lack of female representation within Congress, there is a lack of representation in the creation of laws that uphold the rights of women and minorities.

Messing, J.T. (2020). Mainstreaming gender: An intersectional feminist approach to the grand challenges for social work. Social Work, 65(4), 313-315.

National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. (n.d.). Domestic violence and the Black community [Data file]. Retrieved from https://assets.speakcdn.com/assets/2497/dv_in_the_black_community.pdf. 

Rutgers Eagleton Institute of Politics. (2021). Women in the U.S. Congress 2021. Center for American Women and Politics. https://cawp.rutgers.edu/women-us-congress-2021

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It has been found that within the realm of American social work, many of the fundamental values of social work are ingrained with values of racism, sexism, and white supremacy (National Association of Social Workers, 2020). Not only are aspects of the social work field influenced by values of white supremacy, the medical field and aspects of a women’s reproductive system are also heavily influenced by these values. It can be found that Black women often face an increased risk of death during child-birth and the continued reproductive choices of Black women are often limited or controlled by American society (Messing, 2020). As it was found by the Child Welfare Information Gateway (2016), many Black individuals face an increased risk of their children being removed from their households in a way to limit the number of Black children that remain with their birth parents, which then instills a negative value on the abilities of Black parents.

Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2016). Racial disproportionality and disparity in child welfare. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children’s Bureau.

Messing, J.T. (2020). Mainstreaming gender: An intersectional feminist approach to the grand challenges for social work. Social Work, 65(4), 313-315.

National Association of Social Workers. (2020, August 21). Social workers must help dismantle systems of oppression and fight racism within social work profession [News Release]. Retrieved from https://www.socialworkers.org/News/News-Releases/ID/2219/Social-Workers-Must-Help-Dismantle-Systems-of-Oppression-and-Fight-Racism-Within-Social-Work-Profession.

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How does Intersectional Feminism Relate to Disproportionate Levels of Individuals in Foster Care or with CPS Claims Based on Race and Socioeconomic Factors?

To understand how intersectional feminism relates to a disproportionate number of individuals within the foster care system and CPS system based on race and socioeconomic status, first here is a reminder of what intersectional feminism is. 

Intersectional feminism can be thought of as feminism that incorporates varying groups of individual and supports change based on gender inequalities while also incorporating other aspects that cause discrimination (Dictionary.com, n.d.).

As it has been shown within previous posts there is a disproportionate rate of Black children being removed from their households and placed into foster care systems solely based on race and socioeconomic status (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2016). It has also been shown that women of color are often forced into programs that put them at an increased risk to face CPS claims based on their lifestyle of poverty that they have a disadvantage to escape from (Williams-Butler et al., 2020). 

Intersectional feminism and intersectionality play a role in redefining the child welfare system and systems in place to help allow women of color escape poverty and better provide for their children. Intersectional feminism looks at the entire picture of a woman or child’s life and investigates the disadvantages these individuals hold based on their race, socioeconomic status, and gender. The Child Welfare Information Gateway (2016) introduces ideas that would allow for early intervention in the lives of those who are impacted by poverty by allowing for Child Welfare programs to partner with other organizations that will allow for there to be an increase in assistance for People of Color, as well as a decrease in child abuse reports that are being made. Providing more educational resources for mandated reporters that investigate their implicit and explicit biases will also allow for individuals within the child welfare system to base child abuse claims on evidence rather than biases held toward those in poverty or People of Color (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2016). 

Intersectional feminism within the child welfare system allows for women of color, women in poverty, and single mothers to have a fighting chance at remaining with their children and allows for women to fight for their rights for access to community resources to help prevent harmful situations. 

Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2016). Racial disproportionality and disparity in child welfare. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children’s Bureau.

Dictionary.com. (n.d.). Intersectional Feminism. In Dictionary.com dictionary. Retrieved May 5, 2021, from https://www.dictionary.com/. 

Williams-Butler, A., Golden, K.E., Mendez, A., & Stevens, B. (2020). Intersectionality and child welfare policy: Implications for Black women, children, and families. Child Welfare, 98(4), 75-95.

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Child welfare programs within the United states have been designed to help protect children and remove the children from abuse or neglectful situations within their households. Although these programs are designed to help children, there is also a disproportionate number of minority and low-income families that are targeted by child welfare programs. 

Williams-Butler et al. (2020) were able to identify that social programs and policies such as the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act that have been found to target low-income minority families. This research shows that low-income Black families are disproportionality accused of child abuse or neglect due to varying parenting practices or levels of poverty in which they cannot get out of. The Children’s Bureau also supports these claims by providing statistical evidence from 2016 that shows that Black children are represented within the foster care system at a rate of 1.8 times their reflection in their general population, and are represented 1.6 times as victims of abuse identified by CPS. Whereas their White counterparts are only represented at a rate of 0.8 times their reflection in their general population, and a rate of 0.9 times as victims of abuse identified by CPS (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2016). 

Williams-Butler et al. (2020) also found that Black women are often excluded from receiving services that would prevent negative stereotypes and could potentially expedite the process of removing the woman from poverty. The Children’s Bureau identified that analyzing data related to the statistics of child abuse claims and children in foster care, many factors that influence a child being removed from the home is related to poverty and single-parenthood. Although Black women are often not given access to resources that could potentially remove them from poverty and prevent negative stereotypes, Black families and children are often referred to programs such as supported housing which increases their chance of being involved with mandated reporters who then hold the risk of reporting children based upon racial and socioeconomic status (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2016). 

Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2016). Racial disproportionality and disparity in child welfare. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children’s Bureau.

Williams-Butler, A., Golden, K.E., Mendez, A., & Stevens, B. (2020). Intersectionality and child welfare policy: Implications for Black women, children, and families. Child Welfare, 98(4), 75-95.

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How does Intersectional Feminism Relate to Police Killings and Unequal Rates of Incarceration Based on Race?

To understand how intersectional feminism relates to police killings and unequal rates of incarceration based on race, it is important to first understand what intersectional feminism and intersectionality is. 

Intersectionality can be described as “the complex, cumulative way in which the effects of multiple forms of discrimination (such as racism, sexism, and classism) combine, overlap, or intersect especially in the experiences of marginalized individuals or groups.” (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). 

Intersectional feminism can be thought of as feminism that incorporates varying groups of individual and supports change based on gender inequalities while also incorporating other aspects that cause discrimination (Dictionary.com, n.d.).

Many people think that feminism only supports the rights of women and the inequality that women face, however, feminism is much more than that. As the majority of police shootings and what has been shown in previous posts as a disproportionate number of Black males being incarcerated, we also need to look at the inequalities that Black men are facing based on their race, their color, and their gender. As stated prior, Vesely-Flad (2011) found that Black men are often thought of to be inferior to their white counterparts and are often seen to be “dangerous”. Black men are also found to be more profitable within prison systems compared to their white and women counterparts. With our prison systems being focused on profit rather that rehabilitation, Black men are arrested at higher rates to increase that profit and continue the act of slavery within the United States (Vesely-Flad, 2011). 

Intersectional feminism and intersectionality play an essential role in creating systems and policies that are just for all within the criminal justice system and that allow an equal playing field for all who are impacted by police violence or inequalities in incarceration rates. Creating policy that evaluates the injustices that Black men face due to their race and gender could potentially decrease the number of deaths and arrests that these men face. Creating educational courses for officers that incorporate their biases both implicit and explicit will allow for officers and citizens to understand why there is a higher rate of Black arrests/killings. 

Intersectional feminism and intersectionality within this area also plays a role toward the inequalities Black children face within the social work/social welfare system as we will discuss in further blog postings. As more Black men are arrested and killed, more women with Black children are left without a father to assist with childcare needs. As we will discuss in further blog postings, Black children, as well as Black women are left at a disadvantage for access to social welfare programs and resources which result in an increased risk of arrest for these children in the future (Williams-Butler et al., 2020). 

Dictionary.com. (n.d.). Intersectional Feminism. In Dictionary.com dictionary. Retrieved May 5, 2021, from https://www.dictionary.com/. 

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Intersectionality. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved May 5, 2021, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intersectionality

Vesely-Flad, R. (2011). The social covenant and mass incarceration: Theologies of race and punishment. Anglican Theological Review, 93(4), 541-562.

Williams-Butler, A., Golden, K.E., Mendez, A., & Stevens, B. (2020). Intersectionality and child welfare policy: Implications for Black women, children, and families. Child Welfare, 98(4), 75-95.

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Within American history, crime against Black men at the hands of the police has been a growing issue. In recent events, George Floyd was murdered by Derek Chauvin during a stop relating to the accusation that George Floyd was attempting to use counterfeit money. While on duty, Derek Chauvin knelt on the neck of George Floyd for eight minutes and forty-six seconds, as bystanders recorded and George Floyd called out that he could not breathe. Unlike many other instances of crime at the hands of the police against Black men, on April 20, 2021, Derek Chauvin was found guilty on all charges and awaits sentencing.

Human rights groups over time have continued to protest and fight for the rights of Black men and fight for change in policy regarding the misuse of force that has been shown by police. Although these human rights groups have continued to fight, the statistics continue to show a lean toward more Black individuals continuing to be murdered by police. As of 2020, there were 1,127 deaths at the hands of police. Of these 1,127 only 16 resulted in charges against officers. Of these 1,127 deaths, Black individuals accounted for 27% of these deaths, while the White counterpart accounted for 48%. Although the percentage shows that White individuals accounted for more deaths, per population capita, Black individuals were more likely to be killed by police, as Black individuals only account for 13% of the United States population, whereas White individuals account for 63%. 

Vesley-Flad (2011) argues that Black men have faced more of these discriminatory practices throughout history due to societal beliefs that state that Black men can be described as “evil, danger, and repulsion” compared to white individuals who were described as “purity, virginity, virtue, and godliness”. As Black men are held to a societal belief that they are “evil” or “dangerous” compared to their “pure” and “godly” White counterparts, White officers who kill individuals of color while on the job are often let off without charges or convictions, as found with only 1% of the police killings in 2020 resulting in charges. 

Dryer, B.P., Trent, M., Anderson, A.T., Ashew, G.L., Boyd, R., Coker, T.R., Coyne-Beasley, T., Fuentes-Afflick, E., Johnson, T., Mendoza, F., Montoya-Williams, D., Oyeku, S.O., Poitevien, P., Spinks-Franklin, A.A., Thomas, O.W., Walker-Harind, L., Willis, E., Wright, J.L., Berman, S., … Stein, F. (2020). The death of George Floyd: Bending the arc of history toward justice for generations of children. Pediatrics, 146(3), 1-4. 

Mapping Police Violence. (2020). 2020 Police Violence Report. https://policeviolencereport.org/?gclid=CjwKCAjwhMmEBhBwEiwAXwFoETTELOI1eCnfXXIxCdJFKxnm5I-hJKuYA3dsUmk6Xv08u5Qf5aYYERoCo3EQAvD_BwE

U.S. Census Bureau (2019). Quick Facts: United States. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045219

Vesely-Flad, R. (2011). The social covenant and mass incarceration: Theologies of race and punishment. Anglican Theological Review, 93(4), 541-562.

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Throughout American history, Black individuals, specifically Black males have been arrested and jailed at higher rates than their white counterparts. The influence of these arrests stems from the age of slavery. 

The 13th amendment is a well know adaptation to our constitution as it is known to be the amendment that “freed the slaves”. What many individuals do not know is the true implications that the 13th amendment has on People of Color within modern day society. 

To quote the 13th amendment directly, it states that “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” 

Although many believe that slavery does not currently still exist against Black individuals, this is simply not true. As brought through within the 13th amendment, slavery is still legal when a crime has been committed and it is being used as a punishment for that crime. 

You may be asking? Well, if slavery is still legal for anyone who commits a crime, how does this influence Black people and specifically Black men directly. As shown in the graphic above from the “Sentencing Project” it can be shown that Black men have an increased probability compared to their white counterpart of facing incarceration within their lifetime (1 in 3). The documentary further investigates this by portraying research that shows that Black individuals (specifically men) are being arrested at higher rates than their white counterparts. The documentary 13th expands on this idea by displaying how Black men have been seen as more “dangerous” due to physical attributes and therefore are arrested at higher rates to reduce the “danger” within society, as while as utilizing the physical attributes to allow for work to be done at reduced or nonexistent rates. 

DuVernay, A. (Director). (2016). 13th [Documentary Film]. Howard Barish, Kandoo Films, Forward Movement. 

The Sentencing Project. (n.d). Criminal Justice Facts. https://www.sentencingproject.org/criminal-justice-facts/

U.S. Const. amend. XIII, § 1.