When we discuss feminism in India, the scenario is incomplete. The voices that sound prominent are those of usually urban, English-speaking, and upper-class women. But does it reflect all the women? No way. That’s where intersectionality takes over.
Intersectionality, which has been coined by scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw, is all about acknowledging the fact that women live life differently based on caste, class, religion, sexuality, disability, or geography. Put simply, not all women battle the same battles.
Why Women’s Struggles Are Different
Think of this: a woman working in an office in Mumbai might be battling for equal pay with men she is working alongside. At the same time, a Dalit woman in rural India might be battling for access to education or even basic healthcare. They are both women, but their battles are not the same.
This isn’t new in India. Feminist movements have always been layered. Urban middle-class feminists of the 1970s–80s focused on issues like domestic violence, dowry deaths, and workplace harassment. Meanwhile, grassroots movements led by women like Ruth Manorama, advocating for Dalit women’s rights, highlighted intersecting oppressions of caste, class, and gender. Her work reminds us that feminism cannot ignore marginalized voices if it wants to be truly inclusive.
Health, Rights, and Representation
Reproductive rights reflect this chasm unmistakably. On Twitter, the Twitterverse is usually debating the availability of abortion or IVF in urban areas. But in Uttar Pradesh or Jharkhand, women are still fighting maternal care, diet, and safe delivery. Their silence is a deafening sound.
Representation is another problem. Bollywood or advertising campaigns can present “strong women,” but predominantly from upper-class backgrounds. Tribal women, disabled women, and queer women are kept out of sight. New movements such as #MeToo in India have started voicing within industries, demonstrating how harassment and discrimination differently impact women across class, caste, and power structures within workplaces.
What Gen Z Can Do
So how does Gen Z make feminism more inclusive? Begin with listening and amplifying. Follow activists and collectives organizing from lived experience Dalit feminists, queer collectives, and grassroots organizers. Repost their work, listen to their ideas, and move out of your bubble.
Intersectionality doesn’t fracture feminism in India – it makes it stronger by incorporating all voices. As Ruth Manorama has demonstrated, true change occurs when we struggle for every woman, not simply those who are already seen.
Feminism in India isn’t for one type of woman – it’s for all of us. The more inclusive we keep it, the stronger and more powerful the movement will be.