Intersectionality: A Blind-spot Missed in the British Equality Framework?

Abstract

The current British Equality Framework is premised upon a single-grounds approach which assumes that people’s identities may neatly be boxed up into manageable characteristics in order to claim protection. In contrast, an Intersectional approach recognises that an individual’s identity traits may be so intertwined that splitting them up is not reflective of the intersectional person’s experience. The disparity between the current approach and an intersectional approach creates a ‘blind-spot’ in the law’s protection against discrimination, which thus disproportions the most suppressed members of society. Therefore, intersectionality theory will be used as a lens to analyse the British Equality Framework to uncover the blind-spot’s origin. The framework’s intersectionally-lacking approach will be attributed to the wording of the legislation under the Equality Act 2010. This calls towards correcting the blind-spot and subsequently offering protection to those once neglected by the single-axis approach.