Studies of political representation have increasingly paid attention to the underrepresentation of social groups, such as women and ethnic minorities, in politics and policy. This underrepresentation has at least two dimensions: one refers to the numerical absence of these groups in representative institutions (i.e. descriptive representation), the other relates to the neglect of groups’ interests in policymaking (i.e. substantive representation). Studies on different social groups so far have developed largely as separate strands of literature. Scholars focus for instance on either women or ethnic minorities as single categories, without paying much attention to intra-group differences or to intersections between groups. This ‘single axis’ category approach is increasingly challenged from an intersectional point of view. Intersectionality refers to the idea that different categories, and different forms of oppression or privilege, interrelate on multiple levels. A ‘single axis’ approach to political representation is problematic because it fails to grasp how individuals’ identities and interests are shaped as a result of their memberships of multiple groups, and how power relations play out between and among groups. In this panel, we study political representation from an intersectional perspective and consider the challenges and questions it poses to contemporary studies of descriptive and substantive representation. How do we conceptualize representation as an intersectional process? What are the methodological consequences of studying representation and intersectionality? How do descriptive and substantive representation (and the relationship between the two) play out intersectionally? What are the consequences of these processes for the division of political power?