5: Approaches to measurement and analysis of intersectionality in survey research: strengths and blind spots
Which dimensions of the intersectionality concept do cross-national surveys measure, and to what extent? What are the blind spots, and how can survey research overcome them? After reviewing existing approaches to intersectional research that rely on survey data, we collected the questionnaires from...
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| Autors principals: | , , , |
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| Format: | Online |
| Idioma: | anglès |
| Publicat: |
Edward Elgar Publishing
2026
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| Matèries: | |
| Accés en línia: | https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/176545 |
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| Sumari: | Which dimensions of the intersectionality concept do cross-national surveys measure, and to what extent? What are the blind spots, and how can survey research overcome them? After reviewing existing approaches to intersectional research that rely on survey data, we collected the questionnaires from the four major European social surveys and systematically retrieved the relevant questions. We then qualitatively mapped survey measures on the conceptual dimensions of intersectionality. Our findings indicate that no survey program measures all the dimensions of the intersectionality concept, making the knowledge produced fragmented and limited, which can result in underrepresentation or misrepresentation of intersectional experiences. What is more, explicitly intersectional questions are rare. Surveys measure only the structural dimension of intersectionality directly (albeit still very rarely). Direct measures of intersectional inequalities related to individual experiences with discrimination based on one's multiple identities/group memberships also remain a blind spot, as we did not find any such questions in the surveys we reviewed. Attitudes towards intersecting privileged experiences are not measured in any way. Some historically relevant dimensions of inequality that form the basis of multiple intersecting identities are also neglected in the questions that ask about discrimination experiences (i.e., Roma, social class). Rectifying these gaps is important to advance the empirical analysis of persistent intersectional inequalities, the structures that sustain them, and policy solutions that can effectively address them. |
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