Completing an Intersectional Analysis

To complete an intersectional analysis, review and discuss the proposed project’s approach to the following as applicable. 

Part 1 – General questions

  1. What assumptions are you making about your workforce or target audience? 
  2. Who could be left behind and are generalizations being made that could lead to various groups being excluded? 
  3. Who did you consult and why? 
  4. What data will you look at and what factors will you consider during your analysis? 

Part 2 - Questions tailored for SLMP projects

The following guided questions are tailored for SLMP projects.  It is recommended that applicants consider the questions below in developing their applications. However, SLMP does not require submitted answers to any of the following; these are simply questions for consideration when developing an intersectional approach. 

Initiation

It is important that applicants reflect on their individual perspective(s) and background before participating in or leading an intersectional analysis. 

  1. When considering the project’s scope, what groups, populations or identities might be missing from the approach?
    • Who is impacted by the project? How might they be impacted differently?
    • Do some groups benefit more than others? Why is this? Can this be mitigated? 
    • What environmental factors (e.g., access to services, social capital, policies etc.) may be contributing to the issue?
    • Is this a recent or ongoing issue?  
    • Where and how can interventions be made to improve the situation, and how does your project contribute?
  2. What kinds of data will be used to inform this project? 
  3. Have any data gaps been identified in the project approach? If so, how will they be addressed?
  4. Does the governance committee’s membership reflect the sector/region/population and the issue that the project addresses? 
Suggested actions
  • Consult with diverse stakeholders and include alternative perspectives.
  • Consider the culture of your organization or association and how it impacts the project proposal i.e., what perspective, priorities, approach etc., are/were used in proposal design.
  • Identify issues that might have been left out and address them.
  • Determine how identity factors and unconscious bias will be accounted for and addressed. 
Challenging assumptions 
  1. How has the workforce development issue been identified? Is there data to support the need for the proposed project?  
  2. Are there any current responses (interventions) related to the issue? 
  3. How does the proposed project approach ensure inclusivity?  
    • How is this measured?  
    • What other resources can the team access to aid in project inclusivity?
  4. How does this project contribute to the identification and reduction of barriers for equity deserving groups in B.C.’s labour market? 
    • Have projects/interventions aimed at these groups in the past produced any unintended consequences? If yes, how are these addressed?
Suggested actions
  • Find and consider studies that challenge the assumptions on which the project is based.
  • Identify internal policies, frameworks, and systemic barriers that may impact the project.
Gathering evidence
  1. Will the project:
    • gather diverse perspectives?
    • collaborate with Indigenous Peoples?
    • collaborate with equity deserving groups?
  2. Are the impacted groups participating in consultations? How can the project team access difficult to reach populations for consultations and possible participation?
  3. How does the project contribute to knowledge and best practices for the groups it is serving? 
Suggested actions
  • Reflect on your data sources.
  • Create a safe space for consultations.
  • Determine how the project can ensure that diverse perspectives are included both when identifying issues related to equity and when developing mitigation strategies.
  • Consider how participants are identified by your organization and how they self-identify.
Analytics 
  1. How will the project apply an intersectional lens to data collection and analysis?
    • Is the project using both qualitative and quantitative data from multiple sources? (e. g., surveys, interviews, questionnaires, observations, ethnographies, oral histories, case studies etc., and/or reviewing documents and records) 
    • What methods will the proposed project use to collect this data? 
    • How will the target audience and other applicable groups be impacted by the methods used?  
  2. Are research partners involved in the intersectional analysis? (sub-contractors, governance committee,  project partners, etc.) 
  3. How are partners selected for the proposed project?  What assumptions and organizational culture are the team influenced by when selecting partners?  
Suggested actions
  • Consider whether proposed data sources are inclusive of all groups and note limitations where they are not. 
  • Consider how the methods used to collect data may impact the results and ensure that, where possible, data collection is inclusive.

Developing outcomes and recommendations 

  1. How will the proposed project ensure the produced outcomes and recommendations are informed by an intersectional approach? 
  2. How will success be measured? Who has been consulted in defining success and related metrics? What is feasible in the immediate, short, medium, and long terms?
Suggested actions
  • Collaboratively define success and short, medium, and long-term outcomes and the measures required to track progress. 
  • Regularly update your considerations and approach to intersectionality with project partners, through direct engagement if possible.

Monitor and evaluate

  1. How will the team ensure continuous improvement by monitoring and addressing emerging issues throughout the project?
  2. Are any inequities discovered through this analysis addressed?
  3. How will the project be evaluated to ensure diverse perspectives are included?
Suggested actions
  • Consider evaluation criteria during the intersectional analysis of the project.
  • Ensure an evaluation strategy includes equity considerations.
  • Anticipate future trends and evolving social norms e.g., demographic trends, governmental changes that might occur during the project’s life cycle and how they will impact it.

 

Additional resources for intersectional analysis

Canada and B.C. logos stating this program is funded by the Government of Canada and Province of B.C.