Political approaches to inequalities in Southern Europe : a comparative analysis of Italy, Portugal, and Spain

This article analyses political approaches to inequalities in three south European countries: Italy, Portugal, and Spain. Analysis is based on Crenshaw's (1991) concept of political intersectionality, McCall's (2001, 2005) broader structures of inequality and "configuration of inequality," and scholarly works on the institutionalization of multiple inequalities (Hancock 2007; Kantola and Nousiainen 2009; Weldon 2008). Focusing on gender, ethnicity, and sexuality, the article comparatively explores the ways in which multiple inequalities have been institutionally treated in the selected cases, often as a response to European Union policies. It then draws on empirical findings of this institutionalization to categorize types of political approaches to inequalities, including practices that intersect different inequalities. This comparison contributes to theoretical progress in understanding the political treatment to address inequalities by sharpening the distinction between intersectional policy practices and those of multiple inequalities.