Intersectionality in policy: Feminist breakthrough?

Abstract

This article critically examines the increasing use of intersectionality within Australian gender equality and violence prevention policies. Drawing on three examples—the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children, Victorian local councils’ gender equality frameworks, and research into workplace sexual harassment of migrant and refugee women—the authors interrogate the gap between rhetorical commitments to intersectionality and their real-world implementation. They argue that the concept is often co-opted to denote ‘diversity’ rather than to interrogate power, resulting in tokenistic or superficial applications that can reinforce existing inequalities. The article warns against using intersectionality as a label for difference, rather than a framework for analysing systemic oppression, and calls for more critical, power-focused approaches in policy and practice—especially those addressing the experiences of migrant and refugee women.