Intersectionality in Individual Choice Behavior: Pitfalls and Opportunities

I show how intersectionality, interconnections of social organizations that create interdependent systems of disadvantage, plays a role in individual choice behaviour when people use outcomes of others like them to cope with sources of noise in decision making they cannot control for. I analyze how the different dimensions of a social type interact in belief formation and choice behaviour at the individual and aggregate level, and show how an intersectional lens sheds light on inequalities and patterns in aggregate choice behaviour that are not visible with a one-dimensional lens. I furthermore discuss the effects of strategy restrictions imposed by stigmatization, stereotypes or norms, and the ability of agents to self-identify. Finally, I illustrate how these insights could help explain the pitfalls we encounter in the evaluation of one-dimensional policy measures targeting the underrepresentation of social groups, and guide us in developing potentially more effective multidimensional approaches.