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We focus on how multiple dimensions of inequality, such as gender, ethnicity, class, disability, and age, combine and interact to produce advantage and disadvantage in society.

There is a wide range of intersectional research taking place at the University of Sheffield, within the Faculty of Social Sciences and beyond. All of us share the view that understanding inequality requires an intersectional perspective.

Our origins

The IRN arose from an ESRC-funded project focusing on the MAIHDA method (Multilevel Analysis of Individual Heterogeneity and Discriminatory Accuracy), a quantitative method with desirable statistical properties, used to identify combinations of social identity characteristics associated with inequality. However, researchers in the IRN use a range of approaches - qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods - reflecting our belief that intersectionality requires methodological diversity.

Our aims

• Encourage interdisciplinary collaboration, sharing expertise across disciplines and methodological approaches.
• Upskill researchers in methods that allow intersectional analysis.
• Engage with non-academic organisations to expand the reach and impact of our work, and improve research practice in non-academic settings.
• Develop research grants that fund rigorous, innovative research using qualitative, quantitative and/or mixed methods.
• Support researchers at all career stages, to foster an inclusive and collaborative community.

Our activities

• Regular seminar sessions, bringing together researchers at Sheffield to share research at all stages of completion.
• Training workshops in intersectional approaches, including MAIHDA and other methods.
• Bring-your-own-data sessions for hands-on learning and support.
• Grant pump-priming sessions, to build research connections that result in both large and small grant bids
• Research events that bring together researchers and stakeholders.

Get involved

If you are interested in joining our network, please sign up . Members gain access to our regular seminar series, training events, and more.

If you are interested in collaborating with the IRN, please contact Andy Bell (andrew.j.d.bell@sheffield.ac.uk) or Dan Holman (daniel.holman@sheffield.ac.uk).