Abstract
<p>Intersectional MAIHDA (Multilevel Analysis of Individual Heterogeneity and Discriminatory Accuracy) is a widely used approach in quantitative intersectional research for examining inequalities across combinations of social identity characteristics, such as gender, race, and class. However, researchers often wish to center their analysis on a single social identity characteristic, such as gender, while preserving an intersectional analytical framework. This raises questions that existing MAIHDA models cannot directly address—for example, whether the magnitude or pattern of intersectional inequalities differs by gender. To address this limitation, we propose Focused MAIHDA, a multiple-equation extension that jointly estimates subgroup-specific MAIHDA models, enabling formal comparisons of intersectional inequalities across subgroups. In doing so, we expand the range of questions that MAIHDA can address and broaden its contribution to quantitative intersectional research. We motivate and illustrate our approach by revisiting the seminal application to body mass index (BMI) by Evans et al. (2018).</p>