Identities are defined by several characteristics. Gender, nationality, age, income, disability, are parts of a whole. We are constituted by overlapping qualities, and this shapes our lives, making our experience unique.
Our identities are multiple and they intersect because we exist through the characteristics we have in common with each other.
Intersectionality questions the reasons why these characteristics place us either in situations of privilege or vulnerability and argues that social structures privilege certain identity traits over others, discriminating individuals and groups, restricting their opportunities, and pushing them towards situations of vulnerability.