On intersectionality: visualizing the invisibility of Black women

Area of Science:

• Social Psychology
• Sociology
• Intersectionality Studies

Background:

• Intersectionality describes how multiple social categorizations interact, affecting perceptions of individuals with marginalized identities.
• Previous research suggests Black women experience a unique perceived status absence, distinct from additive racial and gender stereotypes.
• Quantifying these intersectional effects is crucial for understanding social perception.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantitatively assess and visualize the combined influence of race and gender on person perception.
• To test whether perceptions of Black women align with additive models of race and gender.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Semantic Differential (Osgood et al., 1957) to measure perceptions of different demographic groups.
• Employed data-defined dimensions to analyze judgments of persons based on race and gender.
• Analyzed perceptions across four groups: white males, white females, Black males, and Black females.

Main Results:

• Gender and race emerged as orthogonal dimensions influencing person perception.
• White males, white females, and Black males were perceived in line with additive effects of their race and gender.
• Black females were perceived more neutrally, with neither race nor gender being strongly predictive.

Conclusions:

• The study demonstrates that intersectionality results in unique perceptual outcomes for Black women.
• Perceptions of Black women deviate from additive models, suggesting a distinct social categorization.
• Findings highlight the need to consider non-additive effects in intersectional research on race and gender.