The challenge of intersectionality for gender equality plans: adding a gender+ dimension to research and teaching

The presentation aims to contribute to the discussion on the future directions and evolving nature of intersectionality in academia by highlighting emerging trends, research gaps and areas for further exploration or development. In particular, it aims to initiate a reflection on the possibility of coordinating and harmonising theoretical orientations and good practises related to intersectional approaches, taking into account the influence of the EU in accelerating the introduction of intersectional intervention tools in GEPs. Intersectionality shows that the intertwining of certain social positions produces concrete forms of inequality and discrimination that are organised differently in different spaces. Despite the expansion of this concept, intersectionality is predominantly still used as a vague concept, as there is a need for more theoretical or methodological proposals that describe how this variability is organised. Addressing the GEP's fourth area of intervention,"adding a gender+ dimension to research and teaching" brings challenges such as resistance to change, lack of understanding and institutional barriers. The presentation will discuss possible strategies to overcome these challenges and highlight the possibilities of intersectionality to promote, through GEPs, inclusivity and diversity in the academic environment.