Applying a Situated Intersectional Methodology to Gendered Mobility

In recent years, the intersectional approach has been largely used to study social, economic, and political inequalities. In the framework of feminist studies, it might be considered the most important theoretical contribution to analysing social stratification and the distribution of power in social life. Initially elaborated to highlight the “triple oppression” of gender, race and class, the concept of intersectionality has progressively become a lens to analyse how multiple social oppressions and disadvantages shape different subjects’ daily experiences. Within this framework, this contribution aims to apply the concept of intersectionality to urban mobility and gender inequalities. It is largely acknowledged that men and women do not move in the same way and persistent socio-spatial constraints, cultural norms, and unequal power distribution prevent women from being equally socially and spatially mobile. However, studies of female mobility often rely on a homogeneous conceptualization of gender identities, neglecting the intersection of their multiple positions in society. The present research involves about 40 women living in different areas of Bologna (Italy), through semi-structured interviews. Adopting a “situated” approach to intersectionality (Yuval-Davis, 2015), the study explores women’s spatial mobility considering their social, territorial and temporal locations along different axes of disadvantages, such as age, ethnic origins, family status and ability. Based on feminist epistemological perspective, our work combines “intracategorial” and “intercategorical” methodologies (McCall, 2005) to reveal social inequalities reproduced by existing analytical categories on urban mobility Delving into personal narratives, the intracategorial analysis situates subjects within the network of relationships defining their social locations, while the intercategorial analysis allows the study to shed light on the relationships of inequality along multiple dimensions. The results unveil the different nodes of oppression shaping women’s mobility and the interplay of space and gender in defining women’s subjective identities.