Shayna Meyers
3/3/16
Women and Gender Studies 201
A51907916
Question 1 Intersectionality
Intersectionality is a necessity in a women and gender studies class. Intersection’s can
determine a place in society, financial success or struggle, opportunities granted to you and more.
As stated in the book some different intersections would be Race, sex, class, sexual identities,
age, look, size, physical ability and mental ability. Intersectionality ties along with what
privileges you are granted or denied. Each person has different intersections that affect and
change how their lives unfold.
One of the most privileged people you can be in our patriarchal society is a white able
bodied heterosexual cisgendered male. He would have very few intersections that would stand in
his way and privilege would easily be granted to him. The way our society has been conditioned
through time and time again is that a white male is the highest in power and therefore has the
easiest access to what would typically be referred to as the “American Dream”. A black
heterosexual handicapped woman would not be treated the same or awarded the same privileges
just because she isn’t the white heterosexual male. Her intersections limit just how much she can
do and access within our patriarchal, white privileged, heteronormative society.
To understand your position in society you must understand that your position will be
drastically different than someone else’s with different amounts or kinds of intersections.
Privileges are the “advantages people have by virtue of their status or position in society” (45)
No one person’s privileges will match everybody else’s. For example Evin Taylor’s list on
Cisgender privilege really puts gender related intersections into perspective. I am a cisgendered
woman and If I was shopping and was followed I would be appalled. If that were to happen I
would feel relatively confident in reporting it and being helped without being accused of lying or
“deserving it”. I take for granted that I can confidently wear a bathing suit in public without
being harassed. I can easily choose to have children and parent even at such a young age with no
one pestering me about not being the right gender to do so. All these things- however small- are
daily things that I as a cisgendered woman wouldn’t consider. If I go to the pool I don’t worry
about what bathing suit I wear, I just wear it. Also, all the big things like choosing to have a
