Arguments Against Oppression

History has proven that the existence of women’s oppression was prevalent, extending beyond culture, race, and geographical location. Currently, oppression continues to exist, often silently and widespread throughout the world, indicating the continued importance of discussion revolving around this topic. Oppression is difficult to define as it must encompass the collective situation faced by all women while taking into consideration other elements that affect the definition. Frye explains the definition of oppression to include benefits that the privileged class receive at the expense of the oppressed. However, I will argue that that definition is not sound as oppression cannot occur without privilege, the flip side of the same coin. In Marilyn

The most prevalent argument against privilege is that it is false and does not exist. According to Bailey (2014), white male privilege does not exist as men make up the majority of workplace accidents/fatalities, the majority of the homeless, the minority of college graduates, and are more likely to end up in jail than women for the same crime. Furthermore, Bailey (2014) states that men who choose a career that is high-paying and involves working long hours will be criticized for being selfish while women who do the same are viewed as empowered. First, women are also criticized for being a horrible mother or wife if they place their career over their family so this argument goes both ways. Second, the common misconception with privilege is that one is not privileged due to disadvantages that occur in other aspects of their life. Privilege and oppression, according to Goodman (2015), “are cumulative, they are not simply unrelated one-time occurrences”. Thus, overall, white privileged men cumulatively receive greater advantages that outweigh the disadvantages while it is the opposite for women. Disadvantages occur for every individual as often, privileges are related and in order to retain this privilege there are often less important disadvantages that occur. For instance, while the majority of workplace accidents/fatalities occur to men, this is due to the fact that men choose more dangerous occupations. This is a choice given to mostly

It is difficult for the privileged to improve equality if there are no concrete and explicit guidelines. There are numerous ways to achieve this and I will provide recommendations to aid in the fight for equality. In order to change privilege at the individual level, it is essential that children are raised in a household in which chores are equally shared and they are taught the importance of equality between the genders. At the social level, people should be mindful of gendered interactions with others such as opening the door for only women. Finally, at the institutional level, there should be equal or almost equal numbers of men and women holding roles of power in politics and in business. Especially for countries with a high level of inequality, laws should also be changed to support equality such as the ability for women to work in any job that they wish and equal wages regardless of gender. Furthermore, gender equality should be a part of the educational curriculum in elementary school. As the privileged class, collectively we must change the current social structure, or continue to live in a society where oppression is common and