Intersectionality is an important theoretical framework for public health due to its focus on multiple social factors and interlocking systems of social and health inequities 20,21. Jul 25, 2019 as a result, indigenous canadians face health inequities such as chronic illness, food insecurity, and mental health crises. There is a growing recognition that existing theories on, and approaches to, health inequities are limited in their ability to capture how these inequities are produced through changing, coconstituted, and intersecting effects of multiple forms of oppression. Pdf intersectionality and the determinants of health. What can health inequalities researchers learn from an. Drawing on intersectionality 15 and structural injustice, 16 we theorize the constructs and pathways through which social inequities produce health inequities for transgender populations. This paper argues that a truly critical understanding of health inequality requires an analytical approach that acknowledges the interactional and interdependent relationships between structural, institutional and everyday inequalities, and how theseinequalities are informed by the intersecting relationships between race, culture, gender, citizenship status, socioeconomic status and other. Intersectionality is a way to think about and act upon social inequality and discrimination. Intersectionality, justice, and influencing policy 331. The womens health indicator framework can serve as a tool to bring policymakers, providers, and the public together to achieve consensus on priorities and to select a core set of womens health indicators for reporting and monitoring to help achieve the objectives of health canada s womens health strategy. Whether reframing existing conceptualizations of power, implementing empirical research studies or working with community organi. Seeking new insights on intersectionality in healthcare contexts.
Criaws journey toward intersectional feminist frameworks, implications for equity in health joanne lee summary unequal access to health care is a problem in canada much studied by journalists, academics, and policy makers. Revealing the shape of knowledge using an intersectionality lens. Explores and discusses the contributions of intersectional feminist frameworks iffs to alternative approaches to reenvisioning policy change and advocacy. Request pdf on jan 1, 2011, olena hankivsky and others published health inequalities in canada.
Many of these inequalities are the result of individuals and groups relative social, political, and. All criaw activities flow from an overarching goal to provide tools to help organizations taking action to advance social justice and equality for all women. Canadian policy makers and care providers agree that pregnant women. First, we situate the national discourse on health care disparities in an historical and social movement context, followed by several ways that racial and ethnic differences in.
Work in the field of public health has recognized for some time that the social location. Colleen varcoe, bernadette pauly, and shari laliberte. Inequalities in health practices by race, gender or class, in canada and elsewhere, have typically been investigated as distinct phenomena in quantitative research. Efforts to move beyond onedimensional and additive policy analyses have included equality mainstreaming, diversity mainstreaming, intersectional feminist frameworks, intersectional public policy analysis, and multistrand mainstreaming. Criaw is the only womens organization in canada focused exclusively on nurturing feminist research and making it accessible for public advocacy and education. On the one hand, intersectionality points toward new perspectives on the analysis and treatment of health problems for various social groups. Importantly, we present the application of the ibpa framework in seven priority. Acknowledging the complexity of the issue, scholars increasingly stress the need for the development of a theoretical framework that will integrate the multiple factors involved in shaping. In 2015, the canadian government affirmed their responsibility for indigenous inequalities following a historic report by the truth and reconciliation commission of canada. Her recent publications include health inequities in canada. May 28, 2011 there is a growing recognition that existing theories on, and approaches to, health inequities are limited in their ability to capture how these inequities are produced through changing, coconstituted, and intersecting effects of multiple forms of oppression.
Click download or read online button to get using intersectional feminist frameworks in research book now. Therefore, change must begin with individuals transforming ourselves. Intersectionality model of trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder. The move towards an intersectional approach ontario human. Research on health services for women at the intersections of history and economics 295. Intersectional policy analysis of selfdirected mental health. Intersectionality research for transgender health justice. Intersectional frameworks and practices, edited by olena hankivsky is published by university of british columbia press. Intersectionality is a useful framework through which to examine how forms of privilege and disadvantage shape womens experiences of trauma and access to resources. Intersectionality considers the interactions and combined impacts of social. What community organizations can do to challenge social inequality social inequality is embedded in our individual values and beliefs, and the systems and institutions we create reflect these inequalities. As such, it can serve as a useful framework for public health action to improve the social determinants of health and health.
The conference board of canada 2011 reports that between the mid1990s and the late 2000s canada had the fourth largest increase in income inequality. Ubc press health inequities in canada intersectional. In spite of this uptake in public health research, practice and policy appears to be low. Numerous studies examine the effects of race, ethnicity, gender, education or income on a health related practice while controlling for the others or omitting the others from the. A contextualized approach places less emphasis on characteristics of the individual and more on societys response to the person. Health inequities in new brunswick 3 introduction canada is often viewed as having one of the best universal health care systems in the world 1 and being a world leader in population health. Using intersectional feminist frameworks in research criaw. Take, for example, the nih national institutes of health policy and guidelines on the inclusion of women and minorities as subjects in clinical research. Health inequities in canada intersectional frameworks and practices.
Health inequalities and intersectionality january 2015. However, despite these advancements, the courts understanding of a proper intersectional approach is still in its infancy. Despite canada s leadership in the field of population health, there have been few successes in reducing the countrys health inequities. Shift public health practice towards more intersectoral, developmentoriented, upstream approaches. We then explore how an intersectionality framework can extend and. Health inequities, social determinants, and intersectionality. How does intersectionality relate to indigenous and western linking frameworks. As such, it can serve as a useful framework for public health action to improve the social determinants of health and health equity. What follows is a discussion of recent cases in which a move towards a multiple grounds or intersectional analysis is evidenced in either a majority or dissenting opinion.
It offers a promising approach to these issues within public policy and within public health. Policy approaches to reducing health inequalities march 14, 2017 val morrison national collaborating centre for healthy public policy we will start at 2 p. Intersectionality and health equity intersectionality is an approach to understanding and influencing the multiple forces that shape social inequalities and discrimination. Intersectionality in hiv and other health related research. Jan 05, 2017 health inequities are differences in health between specific population groups that are systematic, avoidable, unfair and unjust 14. Almost a decade after who commission on social determinants of health published its influential report, health inequalities within and across countries remain high on the research agenda. Moving towards a more inclusive patient and public. This set the stage for a group of scholars to work with commission staff and members in applying a method of policy.
An intersectional approach to health research, policy or practice takes into account how social identities are mutually constitutive in shaping health experiences and outcomes, as well as how. In the united states and canada, it grew out of the inadequacies of the mainstream feminist movement to address the issues, concerns and. This briefing note briefly explains intersectionality and explores the potential of an intersectional. Policies, whether societal or institutional, are created from social norms. Intersectional policy analysis of self directed mental. Much of the literature on intersectionality in hiv and other health related research suggests that the majority and tendency of existing research is to overlook intersections between different social categories, and to treat categories such as race and gender separately. In canada, as the understanding of human rights evolves, the focus is increasingly on a contextualized approach to discrimination. The lived experiences of those individuals are most often reflected in the policies and practices of the organization. Intersectional frameworks and practices by a copy that has been read, but remains in excellent condition. Social determinants of health inequities in indigenous. Why the theory and practice of intersectionality matter to. A national portrait executive summary health inequalities in canada exist, are persistent, and in some cases, are growing footnote 1 footnote 2 footnote 3. These fact sheets present the 10 practices, relevant at the local public health level, that were found to be promising in their potential to levelup and reduce health inequities.
This article elucidates a new theorydriven conceptual framework for research on transgender health inequities. When health outcomes are compared by income, gender, race, or education, to name just a few, a. Intersectional iffs offer alternative frameworks to viewing economic and social change which value and bring together the visions, directions and goals of women from very diverse experiences and different perspectives. Why the theory and practice of intersectionality matter to health and research and policy. Intersectional frameworks and practices, university of british columbia press, vancouver 2011, pp. Olena hankivsky is an associate professor of public policy at simon fraser university and codirector of the institute for critical studies in gender and health. Canadian research institute for the advancement of women. There is an increasing recognition that regardless of the progress made to date, significant gaps remain in comprehending fully the root causes of inequities, including the complex ways in which the determinants of health relate, intersect and mutually. Employing an intersectional lens, this essay addresses four aspects of the complex relationship between health and race, ethnicity, and other systems of inequality. Intersectional knowledge projects aimed at studying this interplay within and across. How can health researchers, policy analysts, program and service managers, decision makers, and academics effectively apply an intersectional. Identify ways to influence the determinants of health and health equity.
Canada has slipped to below the average in measures of equality, and ranks 12th out of 17 peer countries n. Health inequities in canada will appeal not only to students, communitybased researchers, and scholars in multiple disciplines who are interested in health and healing in canada but also to those in the international community who are examining intersectionality in their own research and practice. Research on health services for women at the intersections of history and economics. Using intersectional feminist frameworks in research. Unequal access to health care is a problem in canada much studied by journalists, academics, and policy makers. This page booklet is a great introduction to intersectional feminist frameworks. In this document criaw hopes to foster interest in iffs and. Pages are intact and are not marred by notes or highlighting, but may contain a neat previous owner name.
An intersectionalitybased policy analysis framework. Intersectionality responds to this problem by considering the interactions and combined impacts of social locations and structural. Intersectionality is a theory and practice that challenges reductive or simplistic ways of understanding difference. The term women and minorities is ubiquitously wedded in public health discourse, policy, and research. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get. Understanding the micro and macro politics of health. A primer aims to provide students an overview of the many circumstances that combine with discriminatory social practices and systems to produce and sustain inequality and exclusion. The world health organization and the public health agency of canada 1 define intersectoral action for health as actions undertaken by sectors outside the health sector, possibly, but not necessarily, in collaboration with the health sector, on health or health equity outcomes or on the determinants of health or health equity. Intersectionality theory proposes that each combination of social categories derived from gender, race and nationality, such as immigrant white man or nativeborn black woman, is associated with unique social experiences. Intersectional feminist frameworks 7 internationally the concept of the intersectionality of di. This set the stage for a group of scholars to work with.
Many of these inequalities are the result of individuals and groups relative social, political, and economic disadvantages. We outline key theoretical tenets and provide actions and tools for researchers to. How does intersectionality relate to indigenous and western. Intercategorical intersectionality and leisurebased. There is a growing recognition that existing theories on, and approaches to, health.
A framework for a mental health strategy for canada mhcc, 2009. We tested the potential of intersectionality theory for explicating racial inequalities in canada by investigating whether blackwhite health inequalities are. Addressing indigenous health inequities in canada through theories of social determinants of health and intersectionality sarah. As part of this work, the commission identified social and structural inequities as an area of importance for addressing the mental health of diverse populations see mhcc, 2009, goal 3. Inequities in canada through theories of social determinants of.
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