In recent years, the term “intersectional justice” has become central in discussions about creating a fair system for everyone. To have an open and fair discussion, it’s important to first understand what this term means. Intersectional justice is an approach that recognises and addresses the interconnected aspects of gender, sexuality, race, and class, which can create overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage. By acknowledging the different elements that shape an individual’s identity and the challenges they face, this approach aims to promote equity and justice.
At its core, this concept involves rethinking existing systems that inadvertently create injustices, inequalities, and disparate privileges. The goal isn’t to create a utopia, but rather to establish workspaces where everyone feels comfortable to be themselves without facing prejudice. It’s about creating environments where marginalised communities have equal power to those with privilege. This means ensuring urban planning accommodates individuals with disabilities and fostering unbiased work environments for women of colour. It’s not about taking power away but rather about levelling the playing field to design a system for everyone.
Coworking and the workplace
In our current workspace, companies are striving to create environments that are inclusive, diverse, and equitable. However, a common mistake being made is focusing on solely on one aspect of a person’s identity instead of considering multiple factors. For example, if a company aims to make their workplace a safer space for women, they might focus on general aspects appealing to women without considering their race, disabilities, or age.
In the coworking community, one of the major draws is our commitment to core principles like openness, collaboration, sustainability, accessibility, and community. To truly uphold these principles, we need to ask ourselves: Who are we attracting to our spaces? How diverse are our spaces? Is there a target demographic we want to see in our space? These questions help us integrate intersectional justice into our practices and ensure we create spaces that welcome and support everyone.
A good starting point
A good starting point for achieving intersectionality is to acknowledge and address the intersections of various identities and experiences. It’s important to avoid labelling and isolating groups based on a single characteristic, as this can cause individuals with overlapping identities to be overlooked. For instance, people who face both disabilities and racial discrimination or classism can experience multiple injustices. Therefore, it’s essential to consider the whole picture and avoid creating divisions between groups, which can lead to unnecessary competition and resentment. By recognising the interconnection of various forms of injustice, we can create solutions that address these complexities in a holistic and inclusive manner.
What makes intersectional justice hard to approach is the fact that it brings the point of power into focus. To make the conversation easier for everyone, addressing the shift in power dynamics needs to be spoken about at the outset.
Shifting Power
In many workplaces, there’s resistance to the change brought by intersectional justice because people are uncomfortable with the idea of power sharing. Organisations frequently approach diversity by focusing on hiring more diverse candidates at entry levels, but this doesn’t address the deeper issues within an oppressive and unequal work environment.
Shifting power doesn’t mean giving up power; it simply means creating decision-making processes where everyone’s voices are equally represented. This mindset shift requires acute awareness and understanding that power sharing can lead to greater collective success. It’s important to recognise that privileges don’t have to be surrendered but extended, allowing others to gain similar advantages. By embracing this change, we can now have this conversation and move towards a more equitable and collaborative workplace.
How to have the conversation
Firstly, when discussing intersectionality, we need to think beyond the current systems that shape our world, our thinking, and our biases. These systems create privileges and disadvantages, reinforcing existing power structures. For example, when we consider disability and accessibility, we often see representation that is predominantly white. This narrow focus overlooks the experiences of people of colour who also face disabilities and highlights how our current systems perpetuate exclusion even within marginalised communities.
Secondly, we need to acknowledge that within various marginalised groups, such as the LGBTQ+ community, there is often a singular focus on one aspect of identity. Typically, this results in the most visible representatives being white, able-bodied, cisgender individuals. While their experiences are valid, this narrow representation excludes people of colour, those with disabilities, and others who face multiple forms of discrimination. Addressing intersectional justice means recognising these layered identities and ensuring that our advocacy is inclusive of all experiences, including transphobia, homophobia, ableism, and racism.
Finally, it’s essential to understand how economic justice intertwines with intersectional justice. Often, those from marginalised groups who achieve success are already privileged in other ways, such as being white or coming from a higher socio-economic background. This perpetuates a cycle where the most disadvantaged are continuously overlooked. To break this cycle, we must examine our own privileges and how they align with others’ disadvantages. This introspection helps us understand the patterns of exclusion and marginalisation within our existing systems.
Advice for the workspace
With intersectional justice, it’s crucial to understand that decisions must be made with affected groups, not just for them. This distinction is evident in various settings where the needs of marginalised communities are often overlooked because they were not included in the decision-making process. Having these conversations is essential, but it can be challenging if you don’t know where to find the people you need to talk to. This is the first hurdle to overcome. It’s important to recognise that even well-intentioned efforts can fall short if they don’t include the perspectives and voices of those they aim to support.
I can’t claim to know of any place that has perfected the practice of intersectional justice, largely because we are all, to some extent, part of the same flawed systems. These systems shape our actions and decisions, and create bubbles of inclusivity that aren’t as accessible as we might think. We are all dependent on existing structures and resources, making it difficult to build something entirely new and inclusive within these confines. While there are certainly some small examples of progress, it’s not as simple as finding a best practice to emulate. True intersectional justice is a constant work in progress, requiring continual reflection and adjustment.
What one considers the norm is often merely a reflection of our peer group and not a universal standard. To build a foundation for intersectional justice, we need to integrate it into the core of our organisations and workspaces, rather than treating it as an afterthought. This means embedding inclusive practices from the beginning and not adding them as a second thought. If we can start with this top of mind, we avoid perpetuating the same cycles of exclusion.
For coworking spaces and workplaces, it’s vital to start this journey by educating ourselves and our teams. There are decades of research, books, and workshops available to help us understand intersectional justice. Begin with self-education and then extend this learning to your colleagues. Authentic commitment to these principles makes it easier to engage with marginalised groups and invite them to take a seat at the table. Avoid the temptation to treat intersectional justice as a checkbox that improves your image. Embrace it as a fundamental change in how you operate. Recognise that significant change takes time and the willingness to reimagine and rebuild existing structures. With that start, we can create environments that truly reflect the principles of intersectional justice.