Data collection must consider intersectionality, or the reality that different socio-demographic markers may interact with each other creating a unique set of challenges (Bastia et al., 2023). For example, the experiences of specific sex or gender groups may depend on other characteristics such as race, religion, caste, or ethnicity. In recent years, there has been a shift within gender mainstreaming to better elaborate and recognize that gender interacts with other forms of inequality. Gender may interact with one’s positioning in the household (e.g., mothers-in-law vs. daughters-in-law), one’s positioning in the community (e.g., wealth or caste) or with broader structural factors such as discrimination and exclusion (e.g., racism, homophobia or ageism), resulting in distinct inequalities in access to resources or in distinct vulnerabilities to harassment, violence or exploitation (Adaptation Fund, 2022). While people with disabilities and people with diverse SOGIESC are separately vulnerable to prejudice, discrimination, exclusion and violence, people at the intersection of disability and diverse SOGIESC may face even greater challenges (Blyth et al., 2020).
Collecting data disaggregated by sex and gender, which can be further differentiated by age, economic status, caste, or disability reveals the needs of marginalized sub-groups, which policymakers can use as evidence for creating more inclusive and equitable policies, services and programmes to address these differences (Adaptation Fund, 2022). For example, data investigating the prevalence of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa by age and sex in 2013 shows that while the majority of new infections occur in adults between 25 and 49 years of age, the proportion of new infections is much higher among young women and adolescent girls aged 15-24, compared to men. A gender analysis would investigate the reasons for young women and adolescent girls’ increased vulnerability to ensure they are not left behind (WHO, 2020). Intersectional approaches often favour research designs that combine quantitative and qualitative methods, as the latter may provide more insights into the structural inequalities faced by marginalized groups (Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation, 2023).