Identity Takes on Different, Often Complex Forms: The Role of Privilege and Disadvantage
All of us have complex and multiple identities that define both how we see ourselves and how others perceive us. These identities include visible attributes such as gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, age, disability, and body size, as well as invisible attributes such as sexual orientation, introversion/extraversion, political affiliation, languages, religion, income level, educational background, parental status, and family structure. These various identities are the lenses through which we view the world, and this is as true in our workgroups as anywhere else.
Our identities are multifaceted and intersectionality plays a significant role in how others view and behave toward us. Legal scholar, Kimberle’ Crenshaw coined this term, and in the simplest terms, intersectionality refers to how multiple forms of discrimination and disadvantage (such as racism, sexism, classism, heterosexism, ableism, etc. ) impacts people with overlapping marginalized identities. Intersectionality offers insight into the experience of inequity that cannot be explained by one identity alone and gives voice to the diversity within demographic groups. Because of intersectionality, the experience of being a black woman cannot necessarily be understood in terms of being the only black or of only being a woman; rather, it must include the overlapping experience of both race and gender, which frequently reinforce each other.
Our Identity Can Be Fluid. The interplay between privilege (a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group of people) and disadvantage (which can sometimes manifest as “otherness”) are critical components of our intersected identities. For example, a gay white man is part of the male community, the white community, and the gay community, therefore he can simultaneously experience privilege based on his race and gender and disadvantage based on his sexual orientation. Moreover, identity elements of privilege and disadvantage can shift depending on the context. A male executive from Mexico may experience a privileged life in Mexico based on his gender, national status, and work level. However, if he takes an international assignment to work in the US, other elements of his identity become more prominent, such as his ethnic background and English as a second language, and those identity factors can shift and be linked to disadvantage in some contexts. From this perspective, identity is fluid and changes based on circumstance. Inclusive leaders need to be self-reflective, considering some of the key elements around these aspects of identity: Which expressions of our identity afford us privileged status in the world and the workplace, which do not, and when? Are we aware of these privileges? Do we take for granted the privileges that being an able-bodied person imparts until something happens to diminish our mobility? How do the privileged or disadvantaged pieces of people’s identities impact their access to opportunity? How do we provide equitable solutions to the complexity of these experiences?
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Originally published at https://eskalera.com on June 27, 2019.
