Rethinking the policy against poverty and exclusion trough the interseccionality framework

Abstract

This article offers a critical review of the concept of inequality, bearing in mind the European policy against poverty and exclusion. It also considers the ways in which it has been constructed by using the concept of intersectionality in the narratives on
which it has been developed over the last 20 years. The hypothesis is that these policies have traditionally been targeted at specific groups which are assumed to be homogeneous; that is, focusing on particular features which are considered the most relevant or politically explanatory in particular situations of social disadvantage. As a result, European policy against poverty and exclusion has been “institutionalized” without taking into account the multidimensional nature of inequalities. This paper seeks to highlight the need to incorporate
the intersectional perspective into public policies as it is a more effective way to identify and contextualise in practice the complexity of both the policy issues and the measures that social
inclusion requires.