User:Juliannamurga/Intersectionality

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Intersectionality broadens the lens of the first and second waves of feminism, which largely focused on the experiences of women who were both white and middle-class, to include the different experiences of women of color, women who are poor, immigrant women, and other groups. In order to comprehend the depths of disparities and the relationships among them in every given setting, intersectional feminism prioritizes the voices of individuals experiencing overlapping, contemporaneous forms of oppression. Intersectional feminism aims to separate itself from white feminism by acknowledging women's different experiences and identities.

In DeGraffenreid v. General Motors (1976), Emma DeGraffenreid and four other black female auto workers alleged compound employment discrimination against black women as a result of General Motors' seniority-based system of layoffs. The courts weighed the allegations of race and gender discrimination separately, finding that the employment of African-American male factory workers disproved racial discrimination, and the employment of white female office workers disproved gender discrimination. The court declined to consider compound discrimination, and dismissed the case. Crenshaw argued that in cases such as this, the courts have tended to ignore black women's unique experiences by treating them as only women or only black.

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In Moore v. Hughes Helicopter (1983), Tommie Moore is a black female employee of Hughes Helicopters, Inc. ("Hughes"), a manufacturer of commercial and military helicopters. Moore sues for the class of black Female Hughes employees and claims that Hughes has discriminated against black females. She also states that this form of discrimination violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Moore contends that in the selection of employees for Labor Grades 15-20 and the post of "first level supervisor," her class of black female EAST unit employees was discriminated against and was shown that no Black female was hired for that position. The court found that Moore had failed to establish a prima facie case of employment discrimination and that, even assuming a prima facie case, Hughes had successfully overcome any presumption of discrimination.

Conservatism

Though Intersectionality's focus is to prioritize the voices of women who have experienced inequality in their lifetime, there are the ideologies of conservatives that should also be taken into consideration. Conservatives believe that Intersectionality allows people of color and women of color to victimize themselves and let themselves submit to special treatment. Instead, they like to classify the concept of Intersectionality as a sort of Hierarchy of Oppression to see which person will receive more unfair treatment than another person would. American Conservative Ben Shapiro stated in a 2019 interview with Jane Coaston, a Senior Politics Reporter who focuses on Conservatism, that, “I would define intersectionality as, at least the way that I’ve seen it manifest on college campuses, and in a lot of the political left, as a hierarchy of victimhood in which people are considered members of a victim class by virtue of membership in a particular group, and at the intersection of various groups lies the ascent on the hierarchy.” In a way, it is almost talked about in a mocking or jokingly matter with conservatives, with them thinking that because someone is a different gender and a different race that isn't male or white will continue to experience oppression and discrimination in their every day life. Article body

References

• https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/2019/5/20/18542843/intersectionality-conservatism-law-race-gender-discrimination
• https://casetext.com/case/moore-v-hughes-helicopters-inc-a-div-of-summa-corp#:~:text=Trustees%20of%20the%20California%20State,overcome%20any%20presumption%20of%20discrimination.