Abstract:

Intersectionality examines the way different social categories—such as gender, race, class, and sexual identity—interact to create unique experiences of discrimination or privilege. In this sense, intersectionality and gender transversality are key frameworks for understanding and addressing inequalities within Academia.

The TInGLE-Academia Project (Through an Intersectional and Gendered Lens to Equality in Academia) is an Erasmus+ project funded by the European Union (EU) and developed by three European higher education institutions. The TInGLE project aims to develop transdisciplinary, practical, and actionable knowledge concerning the impact of multiple intersectional identities, such as gender, class, sexuality and ethnicity/race, within scientific and academic curricula and practices. In the context of the TInGLE Project, we selected two focus groups of psychology undergraduate students from a private university in Spain. The main discussed issue was gender transversality and intersectionality across Academia. Participation was voluntary, and sessions took place during the academic year 2024/2025. Each focus group supplied one session, which was recorded by voice and transcribed. Groups were moderated by two researchers associated with the Project. One group was consisted of three men and four women, and the other consisted of seven women and one man. Twelve participants identified as heterosexual and three as bisexual; all were women. Socioeconomic status was self-reported: five participants identified as upper-middle class and ten as middle class. Eighty-eight % of the participants were Caucasian. Students also explored the professional advantages and disadvantages of being a woman or a man in the context of higher education, and though men were a minority, they did not feel discriminated against. Only minor differences were found regarding the impact of class, ethnicity/race, or sexual identity among students, especially among Erasmus students who reported experiencing discrimination based on nationality and language, and reference was also made to the influence of ageism. In both groups, the perception of homogeneity was common, although they recognized that the existence of differences was penalized throughout discrimination. Although the vast majority of participants in the focus groups were women, it was actually representative of the Bachelor’s. As such, they created a feminized atmosphere, but interestingly, instead of being motivated to change inequalities, they maintained a conservative approach. Finally, education and institutional support within academia were proposed as tools to confront adversities arising from discrimination.

These findings suggest that university students do not perceive major issues related to the impact of multiple minorities intersection. Their primary concern was gender inequalities, but they consistently maintained a conservative stance.

Keywords:

Gender, Intersectionality, Discrimination, Higher education, Qualitative.