Intersectionality began as a way to understand the ways that women of color in American society were othered. The women who developed the theory were challenging the feminism of their time. They saw it as being too focused on the issues of wealthy white women. They felt that this left behind the women who needed feminism the most, and only helped the women who already had the most power. They were also criticizing the Civil Rights Movement. They saw it as being too focused on men and leaving women of color behind. They believed they had a place in both of these movements, and that these parts of their lives could not be separated. Intersectional theory quickly grew to include the relation between all of the many other ways that people are othered and kept in a lower social position, such as sexuality, ability, and the gender binary.