Triple oppression
Triple oppression refers to the simultaneous experience of discrimination and disadvantage faced by individuals belonging to three marginalized groups, particularly in the context of race, class, and gender. This concept highlights how overlapping social identities can compound the effects of oppression, limiting access to resources such as wealth, power, and opportunities. Sociologist Denise A. Segura first articulated this idea in her work on the experiences of Chicana women in the labor force, emphasizing that those who are non-White, working-class women often face significant barriers to socioeconomic advancement.
In capitalist societies, these barriers are exacerbated by limited economic and educational resources available to poor individuals, who struggle to access well-paying jobs and business opportunities. Furthermore, women of all backgrounds encounter occupational segregation, restricting their employment options, while race-based discrimination continues to affect non-White individuals despite anti-discrimination laws. The effects of these intersecting oppressions are cumulative, impacting daily life across various domains such as healthcare and technology access. The concept of triple oppression is further enriched by the framework of intersectionality, which provides insight into how multiple forms of social inequality interact and manifest in people's lives.
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Triple oppression
Modern societies such as the United States are composed of many subgroups, occupying various racial, ethnic, gender, and social class positions. Members of these groups often have less access to resources such as wealth, power, and prestige than members of the dominant society. The notion of “triple oppression” applies when a person simultaneously occupies three oppressed groups. The term was coined by sociologist Denise A. Segura and promulgated in the essay “Chicanas and Triple Oppression in the Labor Force.”
Using the context of work as an example, Segura described how race, class, and gender all play roles in determining occupational attainment and earnings. In countries with capitalist economic systems, poor people do not have the economic and educational resources necessary for business ownership, and their access to well-paying, upwardly mobile jobs is more limited than that of their middle-class and wealth-owning counterparts. In addition, occupational sex segregation limits the job options of women of all races, ethnicities, and classes. Finally, non-White men and women routinely encounter race-based discrimination despite the existence of laws designed to ensure equal opportunities.
Taken together, then, those who experience triple oppression according to the original theory are non-White (that is, Black American, Latina, Asian American, Indigenous American) working-class women who, because of their triple status, are inhibited from socioeconomic advancement. In their daily lives, the effects of class, race, and gender are both interactive and cumulative in nature. Disability, sexuality, immigrant status, or other factors may also be substituted as one of the three forms of oppression that limit an individual's potential. Triple oppression can be seen in many facets of life beyond the concept of employment and education disparities, including healthcare disparities and technology gaps. The emergence of the intersectionality framework also allowed for a better understanding of how various forms of oppression interact.
Bibliography
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Segura, Denise A. "Chicanas and Triple Oppression in the Labor Force." Chicana Voices: Intersections of Class Race, and Gender. U of New Mexico P, 1986.
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