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About Intersectionality: The origin story
Welcome to The Intersectionality Podcast—a fresh chapter of the former Pink Talks Podcast, hosted by Ana Catarina, Inga, and Debora. In our debut episode, we dive headfirst into…
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Representation
Representation refers to how individuals, groups, and identities are included, recognized, and depicted across various social, cultural, and political contexts. This concept extends beyond just visibility; it also…
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International day of education: higher education of women throughout history
How privileged must I be today with such a possibility to possess a master’s degree, compared to my mother and my grandmothers, who weren’t so educated? What was…
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Colonial Capitalism
Colonial capitalism refers to the exploitation of resources and labor in the Global South by the Global North. While ‘industrialisation’ refers to a country’s economic transition, the United…
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Stereotype Threat
Stereotypes are representations and beliefs about people and the social groups to which they belong, usually generalized and misattributed (Operario & Fiske, 2003). Stereotype threat refers to situations…
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Human Rights, how can we discuss it in the middle of a war?
December is the month when we highlight the importance of human rights. But how can we talk about them if we found ourselves stuck in the middle of…
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Body Image
Body image is defined as the picture of our own body that we form in our mind, that is, how the body appears to ourselves (Slade, 1994). The…
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White Defensiveness (Mechanisms)
The term White Defensive Mechanism is an umbrella term that refers to possible reactions shown by White individuals during discussions about racism, their own racial biases and privileges,…
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Violence against women! An ongoing pandemic.
On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, we are taking a stance to reiterate that violence against women and girls persists…
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Whitewashing
Whitewashing refers to all acts of intentional and unintentional altering of the facts, identities, and histories, especially those related to examples of racial inequalities or systemic violence towards…
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Ableism
Ableism refers to the discrimination and prejudice against people with mental, emotional, or physical disabilities.While ‘ability’ refers mostly to a specific set of functional skills, the ableist aspect…
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Awareness of Anti-Trafficking Day
We have to be aware of our society’s problems. One of them is human trafficking. Human Trafficking is the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of people through force,…
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Catcalling is uncomfortable – what lies behind the problem?
When I was 14 years old, I asked myself, who am I and my body? What makes me feminine? Who has a right to point a finger and…
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Consensual Pornography
Pornography is the (consensual) creation of graphic, auditory, or written content, meant to be sexually arousing. It can present bodies in a sexual manner, sexual interactions, arousing noises/voices,…
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White Guilt
White guilt is a term used to describe the sentiments of guilt, shame, or discomfort that White individuals likely feel as a result of past and present racial…
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Why do women apologize more?
Often, in many conversations with women, I tend to notice small details. Whether we are in meetings or writing emails, or if someone didn’t manage to organize events…
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Xenophobia
Xenophobia is a deep-seated fear of individuals perceived as outsiders or culturally different from one’s own community (Guy-Evans, 2023). During social or global crises, these fears can intensify…
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White Tears
White Tears refers to emotionally charged reactions, such as guilt, sadness, or defensiveness, that are typically displayed by White individuals when faced with racism or discussions about White…
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Honor Based Violence
Honor Based Violence (HBV) is a form of gender-based violence. In some cultures, used to maintain a family’s reputation through the control of its members. While “honor” refers…
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Bisexual
Bisexuality is a sexual orientation that refers to individuals who are romantically, emotionally, and/or sexually attracted to people of more than one gender. This can mean attraction to…
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Woke
The term woke refers to a high awareness of social injustices, particularly related to racism and systemic inequality. However, it is not only about mere awareness. Woke is…
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Linguistic Imperialism
Linguistic imperialism refers to the dominance of one language at the expense of others, often leading to the marginalization or even extinction of non-dominant, local, and indigenous languages…
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Microaggressions
Microaggressions are forms of subtle discrimination in the form of verbal, behavioral, and environmental indignities. They are often automatically and unconsciously directed at members of marginalized groups and…
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World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development – why is it important to all of us?
May 21 is designated by the United Nations as World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development. It is an international day that promotes diversity and the…
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White Fragility
White fragility, a term coined by Robin DiAngelo (2018), refers to a form of discomfort and defensiveness that White individuals tend to show when confronted with discussions about…
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Plurisexuality
Plurisexuality, also multisexuality, is an umbrella term describing different orientations and attractions to people of multiple genders and/or sexes. The terms plurisexual and multisexual are preferred over “non-monosexual”…
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Is aging okay? Staying forever young and other (empty) stories
Last year, a friend gave me a cream for the sensitive area wrinkles – around the eyes. Hey, a gift as a sign, what does that tell me?…
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Acculturation
Acculturation refers to complex processes in which both individuals and groups’ psychological and cultural change results from contact between at least two different cultural groups (Berry, 2019). While…
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Victimization
Acts in which a person is the target of violence that results in physical or psychological injury are understood as victimization (Cruz, 1999). This violence is based on…
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Microinterventions
Targets of microaggressions often experience a “freeze effect,” where they feel uncertain about how to respond. This can lead to feelings of anxiety, guilt, and self-disappointment. As a…
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Sexual Misconduct
Sexual misconduct is an umbrella term that describes any sexual act or behavior that takes place without a person’s consent. It covers a wide range of sexual assault,…
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Nonconsensual Pornography
Nonconsensual pornography (NCP) is the online distribution of sexually graphic photographs or videos of individuals without their permission (European Institute for Gender Equality, 2017). Ex-partners may distribute nonconsensual…
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Incel
Incel is a term that is used for an involuntary celibate. Celibate usually refers to people who choose to not have sex (Cambridge Dictionary, n.d.). The involuntary aspect…
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Zero-Sum Thinking
Zero-sum thinking is a mindset in which individuals, groups, and nations view the world as a competitive arena, believing that one person’s success must come at the expense…
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Workplace Equality
Workplace equality has been defined by the International Labor Organization (ILO) as equal working conditions and treatment at work regardless of gender, race, color, religion, political opinion, national…
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Unionisation
Unionization is the process by which employees form trade unions in various industries. It has been a practice in business and trade since the Middle Ages. Trade unions…
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Sex Work
Sex work has historically been closely associated with discrimination, marginalization, and criminalization. From past centuries to the present day, sex work has always been viewed from a moralistic,…
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Overconsumption
In a capitalist society, buying and consuming products is an essential part of daily life. Yet, when consumers purchase products or services in quantities they cannot use in…
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Job Polarization
Job Polarization refers to a labor market phenomenon that has appeared in many countries in recent decades. While the number of middle-income jobs is declining, employment in either…
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Housewifization
Traditional gender roles and division of labor have existed since the beginning of human civilization. The development of technology, war, and colonialism conquest expeditions stressed these roles and…
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Neurotypical (Neuromajority)
Every brain is different. Neurodiversity includes all forms of neurocognition, as it describes the range of neurocognitive variations across humans (Walker, 2021; Emergent Divergent, n.d.; Kapp, 2020). A…
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Neurodiversity
The term Neurodiversity frames the cognitive and emotional properties characteristic of developmental disorders within the natural expression of human diversity (Masataka, 2017). Highlighting the principle that people experience…
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Gender-Based Violence
Across all social classes, races, ages, religions, and national borders, gender-based violence (GBV) is a major public health and human rights concern (Sanjel, 2015; United Nations, 1993). People…
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Androsexual
Androsexuality refers to people who are attracted to masculinity. An androsexual (or androphilic) person might be attracted to anyone with masculine qualities regardless of their gender or sexual…
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Tone Policing / Tone Argument
The act of dismissing or reducing someone’s argument based on the way it is expressed, the attitude, the tone used, or the emotions expressed can be understood as…
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Bourgeoisie
Marxist theory is based on the concept that society is divided into two groups that directly face each other: the bourgeoisie, meaning the middle and upper classes, and…
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Austerity Policies
Austerity policies involve reducing domestic wages and prices in order to restore competitiveness with other sectors and balance the government’s budget (Blyth, 2015). The idea is that, by…
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Reproductive Rights
Reproductive rights are the legal and social rights related to reproduction and reproductive health, which, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), is defined as a state of…
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Racialized Beauty Standards
Racialized beauty standards are rooted in racial hierarchies that shape mainstream societal perception of beauty. While diminishing those belonging to non-white ethnic groupings, mostly Eurocentric traits are favored …
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Intersectionality
Intersectionality is an analytical framework a term that was coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw (1989) in response to the need to expose how Black women, who accumulate the marginalization…
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Data Activism
Data has become an increasingly important aspect of our lives as we use more technology every day. Data activism uses technology and data to promote social and economic…
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Inspiration Porn
Inspiration porn is the representation of disability as inspiration, by objectifying the person with a disability for the benefit of the abled group. In an attempt to pass…
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Xenocentrism
Xenocentrism is the term used to describe consumers’ preference for foreign goods over domestic ones, and it is typically motivated by the belief that the products are superior…
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Gendered Ageism
Ageism refers to negative stereotyping and discrimination based on age (Butler, 1969), while gendered ageism targets older people at the intersection of age and gender, disproportionately affecting older…
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Body Liberation
Influenced by Black feminism, disability justice, and queer theory, Body Liberation frames the body as a site of resistance against oppressive societal narratives. Not only to have compassion…
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Pink Tax
The umbrella term “pink tax” describes various financial inequalities based on gender. In different contexts it may refer to: 1. The gender wage gap, 2. Gender-based differentiation in…
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Aromantic
Aromantic is a romantic orientation that describes those with little to no romantic attraction. The term can be used to describe a specific lack of attraction or used…
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Yes Means Yes
‘Yes Means Yes’ refers to the affirmative consent campaign surrounding sexual violence adopted by policymakers, activists, and educators. Affirmative consent requires a verbal, consensual, yes before any sexual…
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White Silence
White Silence takes place when White people avoid speaking up about racial inequalities, such as when witnessing discriminatory behaviours or during conversations about race. White Silence often stems…
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25 November – The butterfly effect
Today, a day marking the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, we can safely say that women are not safe anywhere in…
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Asexual
Asexual is a sexual orientation referring to those who experience little or no sexual attraction to others. Asexuality can be referred to on its own, or it can…
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Gynosexual
Gynosexuality, also gynesexuality, is a sexual orientation that describes an attraction to femininity. It is used interchangeably with gynophilia/gynephilia, meaning the love of femininity. Both persons can be…
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Fatphobia
Fatphobia refers to the fear, hatred, and loathing of fat bodies (Stoll et al., 2022). While fatphobia is used more commonly, terms such as ‘prejudice against fat’, ‘weight…
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“Toxic” Masculinity
Toxic masculinity refers to a perspective that takes behaviors, traits, and norms considered traditionally and stereotypically masculine to an extreme (Edwards, 2020). These socially regressive masculine notions foster…
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Queer Theory
Queer Theory is a multifaceted lens that allows exploring how heteronormativity and the homo/hetero binary shape various aspects of our society and personal lives. It comprises diverse and…
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Queer
Queer is a term used to express a spectrum of sexual orientations and gender expressions that oppose the mainstream. Due to that, Queer portrays a political ideology as…
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Pansexual
Pansexuality refers to the sexual connection or attraction to people regardless of their gender or sexual identity. Gender and sex are not driving forces in their attraction to…
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Demisexual
Demisexuality refers to experiencing sexual attraction or arousal after developing an emotional connection with someone. The term is often found within, but not limited to, the Asexual umbrella.…
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Cisgender
Cisgender, often shortened to “cis,” describes individuals whose gender identity aligns with the sex they were assigned at birth, such as someone assigned male at birth who identifies…
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Kink
Kink refers to unusual, unconventional sensual, erotic, or sexual practices, behaviors, or fantasies when viewed by a socially normative, “vanilla” perspective (Rehor, 2015; Van Lier, 2024). The word…
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Bodily Autonomy
My body is my own (UNFPA, 2021). Bodily autonomy is the right to control and the freedom to decide about what happens to their bodies (The Autistic Self…
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Ethocentrism
Ethnocentrism describes the tendency to view one’s own culture as central and therefore often superior. It involves a preference for one’s own culture – whether based on nation,…
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Human Trafficking
Human trafficking is a term used for a form of extreme exploitation in acts against their will. While ‘labor’ or ‘service’ usually refers to consensual employment, trafficking aspects…
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Victim Blaming
Victim blaming is a social phenomenon in which responsibility for traumatic events is wrongly placed on the victim rather than the offender. This leads to psychological distancing, the…
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Benevolent Sexism
The theory of ambivalent sexism distinguishes between hostile sexism (HS) and benevolent sexism (BS) (Glick & Fiske, 1996). Benevolent sexism (BS) includes idealizing and flattering individuals who endorse…
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Sexism
Prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination based on a person’s gender is understood as sexism. It is not limited to prejudice and discrimination against cis women by cis men. LGBTQIA+…
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Internalized Sexism
Internalized sexism refers to the manifestation of sexist beliefs and practices that individuals, regardless of gender, may direct towards themselves or others (Bearman, 2009). These arise through the…
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Hostile Sexism
The theory of ambivalent sexism distinguishes between hostile sexism (HS) and benevolent sexism (BS) (Glick & Fiske, 1996). Hostile sexism refers to the attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors that…
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Bropropriating
Bropropriating, or bropropriation, is when a woman has an idea that is later appropriated by a man. Perhaps the woman speaks in a meeting and is ignored, only…
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Classical Feminisms
Feminism is a social, political, and ideological movement that seeks to advance the rights and status of all individuals by challenging and dismantling systems of patriarchy and gender…
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Fourth Wave of Feminism
Framing & Perspectives The fourth wave of feminism began around 2012 and continues to the present day. This wave builds on the achievements of previous waves while addressing…
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AFAB/AMAB
AFAB (Assigned Female at Birth) and AMAB (Assigned Male at Birth) are acronyms referring to the gender binary that is imposed on persons at birth without their consent.…
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Third Wave of Feminism
Framing & Perspectives The third wave of feminism began in the early 1990s as a response to the perceived shortcomings of the second wave, which focused on achieving…
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Transgender
Trans* is an umbrella term that encompasses a variety of identities that go beyond traditional gender norms. Transgender (or Trans*) describes individuals whose gender identity, gender expression, or…
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Trigger Warning
In psychological understanding, a trigger is an event, situation, or impulse that causes a chain reaction in people who have experienced traumatic events, leading to strong emotional or…
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Second Wave of Feminism
Framing & Perspectives The second wave refers to a period of feminist activity that began in the United States in the early 1960s and lasted until the late…
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Acronym “LGBTQIAPN+”
LGBTQIAPN+ is an acronym that refers to a wide range of sexual and gender diversity. Like individuals, the LGBTQ+ acronyms and definitions are constantly growing and changing. Its…
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First Wave Feminism
Framing & Perspectives The first wave refers to the period of feminist activity during the late 19th and early 20th century, primarily in the United States and the…
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Trigger
A trigger in psychological understanding is an event, situation, or impulse that activates a traumatic memory that can lead to a chain of reactions with strong emotions (e.g.,…
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Waves of Classical Feminism
The first wave (late 19th and early 20th centuries) primarily sought legal rights like women’s suffrage (Evans, 1997). The second wave, from the 1960s to the 1980s, expanded…
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