Not all people will be impacted by policies in the same way because of their gender. Gender inequality is experienced differently by different people. It can be compounded by other social factors and identities including characteristics or circumstances of age, disability, race, socioeconomic status or sexual orientation. These inequalities can result in overlapping and interdependent discrimination or disadvantage for a person or community.
An intersectional approach (see Glossary) recognises that a person’s experience of exclusion or disadvantage is shaped by the interaction of multiple circumstances and characteristics. It also provides insight into the systemic and cultural causes of inequality, which then provide the basis for solutions. An intersectional approach enables the complexity of people’s experiences of discrimination and disadvantage to be understood, for example, through disaggregated data that highlights differences of experiences which can then be addressed.
Collection of data that captures a wide range of a person or community's circumstances and characteristics is a priority for an intersectional approach to gender analysis. Stakeholder feedback and qualitative evidence are also valuable and can inform analysis, particularly where data is limited.
Why is the use of intersectional data important?
Data analysis should go beyond looking at just gender in aggregate, as gendered experiences vary by many factors including socio-economic status, geography and age, which intersect with gender. Different characteristics and backgrounds, such as migration status, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity, cultural background and First Nations status may also interact with gender (and with each other), the combination of which may mean that people experience and are affected by policies in different ways. For this reason, it is critical, throughout the policy making process, to consider the needs of different cohorts within gender data and evidence where possible.
Using data to support intersectional gender analysis in practice
The use of appropriately disaggregated data helps to draw out evidence to support an intersectional approach to gender analysis. The use of such data gives us a clearer picture of how different characteristics affect people throughout their lives, including any inequalities or gaps between different groups. For example, housing costs as a proportion of disposable income have increased over the last 20 years, with women experiencing disproportionate impacts of high housing costs due to the gender pay and earning gaps, the high proportion of single parent households headed by women, and family and domestic violence. These housing challenges are particularly acute for older women and women fleeing violence who are more vulnerable to homelessness, First Nations women (39 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander renting householders were in rental stress[1]), women with disabilities (11.2 per cent of Australians with disability are living in unaffordable housing[2]), and single mothers (who experienced homelessness and marginal housing at almost four times the national average[3]).
- Wiyi Yani U Thangani (Women’s Voices): Securing Our Rights, Securing Our Future Report (2020). Return to footnote 1↩
- Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2022) People with disability in Australia 2022, catalogue number DIS 72, AIHW, Australian Government. Return to footnote 2 ↩
- www.csmc.org.au/2023/11/21/csmc-launches-report-on-largest-survey-of-single-mothers/ Return to footnote 3 ↩