This foundational paper presents the legal and feminist theory behind intersectionality, a term coined by Crenshaw. Although indicative of US law rather than that of the UK, Crenshaw’s 1989 paper offers an academic account of intersectionality beyond traditional discrimination discourse, via an analysis of three historic American legal cases, DeGraffenreid v. General Motors, Moore v. Hughes Helicopter, Inc., and Payne v. Travenol Laboratories. #racesexintersection
“This focus on the most privileged group members marginalises those who are multiply-burdened and obscures claims that cannot be understood as resulting from discrete sources of discrimination.”
Be Inclusive: Including women and girls with disabilities in development and humanitarian projects
This report highlights Inclusive Futures, UK Aid’s flagship disability inclusion initiative, which supports inclusive health, education, livelihoods, and anti-discrimination efforts across six countries. With a focus on women and girls with disabilities, it provides practical examples from April 2020 to May 2023 to guide development and humanitarian organizations in promoting equitable participation. #disabilityinclusion #inclusivedevelopment
"Often during development programmes, women and girls with disabilities are not given a place at the table, so you’ll find people making decisions for us. People imagine that we don’t have solutions to our own issues. When we are at the planning table, we can speak from an informed position, provide solutions and meaningfully participate in the decisions taken."
Women in the nonprofit sector: Underrepresented, underpaid, underfunded, but making progress
Despite making up the majority of the nonprofit workforce, women continue to face significant gender disparities—ranging from unequal pay and limited access to funding, to the pressure of doing more with less. This curated collection of articles explores the progress women in the sector have made, the persistent gaps, and the ongoing efforts to dismantle structural barriers. #genderequity #womeninnonprofits
“At the intersection of race and gender, many women of color in the nonprofit sector experience additional barriers in their day-to-day work, including chronic underfunding.”
Reclaiming Narratives: My Journey as a Black Woman in Leadership
In this blog, Amma Anderson— NYA Trustee—reflects on her leadership journey as a Black woman in the youth sector. Through her personal experiences, she challenges tokenism, confronts bias, and calls for meaningful representation. Reclaiming the narrative, for Amma, is more than a concept—it’s a mission to ensure Black leaders are no longer the exception, but the norm. #BlackWomenLead #ReclaimingNarratives #EquityInLeadership
"Being a Black woman in leadership is not without difficulties, but it’s also a powerful platform for change. Reclaiming the narrative means owning my story – both the struggles and the victories – and using it to shape a future where Black leaders are no longer the exception but the norm."
WAVE Toolkit on Feminist Self-Care for Young Activists and Young Professionals
The WAVE Toolkit on Feminist Self-Care for Young Activists and Young Professionals builds on earlier advocacy efforts by centering the well-being of youth activists. Informed by insights from young feminist activists up to age 35, the toolkit offers practical strategies, personal reflections, and boundary-setting tools to support sustainable, resilient activism. Created with a feminist lens, it empowers young changemakers to prioritize mental health while advocating for long-term impact. #FeministSelfCare #YouthActivism #ResilientLeadership
"Feminist self-care is an act of defiance and resistance to oppression. It acknowledges that marginalised groups, including women, LGBTQ+ individuals, people, BIPoC (Black, Indigenous and People of Colour) and people with disabilities, are disproportionately affected by societal pressures and systemic inequalities such as sexism, racism, queerphobia and ableism. It is a way of reclaiming our bodies, minds, and time from systems that aim to exploit and exhaust us."
Capitalism, postcolonialism and gender: Complicating development
This think piece highlights the importance of incorporating intersectional and post-colonial feminist perspectives in any work focused on 'gender and development.' Both perspectives are critical as they provide an analysis of the interplay and intersection between gender, race, class, sexuality, capitalism, colonialism, "and the ways in which colonial pasts have constructed unequal presents." #postcolonialfeminism
"As many postcolonial feminist economists have noted, women in the Global South often end up doing the worst paid and most precarious and dangerous jobs in the world."
Focusing on a group historically marginalised by both women's rights movements and disability rights movements, the Gender & Development Network explore how women and girls with disabilities can struggle to implement their rights in the presence of development programmes. This briefing utilises broad and wide-reaching sources to isolate the experiences of women with disabilities in areas of: education; sexual and reproductive health and rights; water, sanitation and hygiene; violence against women and girls; economic empowerment; participation, decision-making and leadership; and situations of risk and humanitarian crisis. #genderdisabilityintersection
"While it has often been assumed that targeting poor communities through development interventions ensures that persons with disabilities are appropriately included – and likewise, that programmes directed at women will necessarily reach women with disabilities – it is increasingly recognised that this is not always the case."
It’s Time To Face the Facts: We Have A Gender and Diversity Problem in the Nonprofit World
The CEO and President of Ipas, an international reproductive health and rights organisation, writes in Forbes about bias within donor communities. She recounts how women dominating the domestic nonprofit sector translates to the disproportionately few organisations women do lead being less likely to receive funders’ attention and resources, limiting the growth and impact of their organisations. #donors
“It is a myth that “do-gooders” are more self-aware and better equipped than others to challenge the power imbalances that exist in society at large.”
The Social Justice Sector has an Internal Racism Problem
This piece calls for the empowering and validating of black female leadership, arguing that many white dominant systems of charity and international development are limited in their ability to significantly reduce poverty and advance justice in communities of colour. Menjívar argues that the "voices of black women must not only be heard, they must be centered and amplified." #blackfemaleleadership
"Even as diversity and inclusion are becoming mainstream as a way of strengthening teams, conversations about diversity tend to be superficial and focus mostly on gender inclusion."
The Young Feminist Fund centres its mission on self-care and community care. This manifesto calls for members to make each other accountable for individual and community well-being. #workplaceculture
Aiming to “collectively build, create and consolidate a healthier organisational culture and community culture.”
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