As we’re aware, intersectionality is described qualitatively. However, measurement of the biopsychsocial impact of intersectionality would prove fruitful.
How would you go about it ?
Several studies address this issue. Here is an example from a google scholar search: https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C10&q=empirical+measures+of+inersectionality&btnG=
I think that an important aspect in the implementation also lies in reflecting on the quantitative implementation in terms of its methodological and epistemological possibilities. Quantitative research is largely based on distinctions that are not easy to implement in relation to gender, for example, if gender is understood as a spectrum. Simply adding additional gender categories would not solve the underlying problem. Moreover, it is also part of the spectrum not to want or be able to clearly locate oneself.
Corresponding problems could also arise with the concept of race or ethnicity if these are not to be tied back to biologistic concepts.
Another point concerns the multiplicative strengthening or weakening of the relevance of certain intersections, since the concept is not merely an additive relationship. This could also be a challenge in the quantitative implementation, as reinforcement/weakening are certainly very contextually bound, but this is quantitatively equated for all respondents. Unlike in qualitative data, this can be taken into account less well here or must be constructed and tested with other variables.
Benjamin Neumann I've been thinking about the challenges of measuring it quantitatively given the contextual nature of intersectionality. To some, this present itself in an additive sense, but it is clear that it is not always the case as others certainly continue to show resilience in the face of various adversities and barriers.
Anthony Theodore Amato That's right, some people conceptualise intersections as an additive relationship. However, I think Crenshaw's text from the 1980s (to which many researchers refer, at least in Germany) already says that it is not such a relationship. In my opinion, the quantitative approach could perhaps clarify what influence certain aspects have for certain population groups, but it must also be reflected in its limits, because individual situations vary. For me, intersectionality is above all a theoretical concept to describe and explain relations (!) of inequality. In this respect, one could perhaps explore interactions of different inequality dimensions quantitatively and try to explain them intersectionally. How this should then be done in the concrete individual case depends on the respective phenomenon.
I think that on a basic level, simply observing disparities in outcome variables of interest, between participants with and without multiple simultaneous minority statuses can be valuable. It produces the kind of numeric, "hard" evidence that policy makers may be more likely to take seriously. For example, persons who are both ethnic and sexual/gender minority may be particularly vulnerable to HIV or mental health problems, and quantitative research is well suited to demonstrate that.
That said, the choice of outcome variables should ideally be guided by some qualitative research to ensure that you'd be measuring the right problems.
The Crenshaw article that others here also referred to gives good examples of how those with the power to make decisions may misunderstand what really matters to groups with multiple minority statuses. One example that I thought was pretty powerful was the case of a non-English speaking victim of domestic violence in the US, who was turned away from a women's shelter, because she would not be able to meaningfully participate in the shelter's therapy group. Now, what do we think matters more - not having to go back home to an abuser or to the streets, or being able to participate fully in a therapy group? Put this way, the answer seems obvious, and yet whoever was running the shelter didn't get it. As researchers, we might similarly be blinded to what matters to the people we study, if we've not experienced those situations firsthand or done/read some exploratory research with the groups of interest.
My research posted on RG addresses some of what you are requesting. Likert Scales, rating systems, etc. Then, comparing the results.
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