The phrase “systems of privilege and inequality” is not something many people know about, or even consider. The word privilege can be defined as a benefit or an opportunity given to some, but not to others. Privilege is usually unearned and granted upon someone, or to someone, by nothing except, possibly, being somewhere at the right place, at the right time. Most privileges are factored on a social level, by just simply being born. Susan M. Shaw and Janet Lee explain this concept of privilege and inequality perfectly in their work, “Systems of Privilege and Inequality,” which can be found in the book Women’s Voices, Feminist Visions. The authors explain how privilege and inequality works in society and how difference needs to be recognized instead of shamed. Being born into a white, middle class, “normal” family, for example, will grant you with several more opportunities than say, being born into a …show more content…
Social inequality consists of members of gender, sexual orientation, and race being isolated or not treated as equally as others. Individuals who identify as being a different sexual orientation than what is considered “normal”, like homosexual or transgender, face discrimination when it comes to children, healthcare, housing, and work. Women face many challenges as well, like being paid less than men: seventy-nine cents to every man’s dollar. If one is looking at positions of power, it can be seen that women hold significantly less positions than men. The average CEO, or the people in charge of a company, are more commonly men than women, as women are not taken as seriously when it comes to business. “For example, media often reinforce negative stereotypes about women such as dumb blondes, passive Asian Americans, or pushy African Americans,” (Shaw and Lee 61) which paints women in a bad image and is where this negative connotation of women is stemmed
Gender roles are a staple construct of human civilization, designating the behaviors and lifestyles that society expects out of its participants, with gender as the defining characteristic. Historically, females have been at the forefront of the conversation, with feminism regarded as the principal solution to the well-established issue of gender inequality. However, this is foolish. To truly mend the gender inequalities forged by thousands of years of human interaction, both genders have to be acknowledged. Both males and females are equally constrained by gender roles, however the effects of this constraint are in differing fields. There are studies showing that females are at a disadvantage economically, in the workplace, while other studies
Sensory and DiAngelo (20012) showed the meaning of “privilege” in general and in academics. In general, people who have the privilege are treated as lucky, and they will benefit from this luck. Therefore, people think that privilege is a positive thing. However, the definition of the privilege is different when academics define it. The reason why it happens is because of how society works defined by academics. “They refer to the rights, advantages, and protections enjoyed by some at the expense of and beyond the rights, advantages, and protections available
The way I have come to understand what the Matrix of Privilege and Oppression means, is that everyone everywhere feels both privilege and oppression at the same time, and how much they feel of it depends on where they are on the scale of oppression and what position in society that they are in. This could mean that a Black man whom is judged by his skin color every day and it heavily oppressed in many ways, ends up getting into a college over a white man because of the school wanting to be a more diverse campus. The white man does not get judged by his skin color on a regular basis, but it did not work out well for him while applying to schools.
In the beginning of the year I entered this class with a very sheltered and ignorant view of current and past events. Through time and sociological evolution I have begun to see things in a different light. The development of my ability, to look at something or some kind of situation, lets me use the sociological terms in such a manner to relate them to micro and macro problems in society. This started with the assigned readings of the class; the aim was to decipher the messages the authors were presenting. The goal was then to dig deeper and use my experiences to help myself understand the concepts throughout the course. "The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be ignited." Plutarch (46-120 CE--common era) I was no longer supposed to retain knowledge on a factual basis but to observe the problems and challenge my own thoughts, values, and beliefs. Challenging these aspects lights the fire that creates the ability to use working sociological terms in my analyses. Through my analyses of the authors in the course I developed questions about the particular readings that we were assigned. The questions I present from these authors are on the basis of learning and seeing the macro picture from micro events. The authors that we read from were: Allan G. Johnson, James W. Loewen, Jonathan Kozol, David Nibert, Arnold Arluke, Clinton R. Sanders, and Elie Wiesel. From each one of these authors we are able to relate a theme of sociology to what is happening in their books, which results in the discussion questions.
As a member of the dominant race in America, I know that I possess certain unearned privileges that allow me to be more successful overall. I was raised with the mindset that racism doesn't affect me because I am white. The U.S. education system taught me about my racial and ethnic history, but it is likely that my classmates of different races could not say the same. I learned about racism in school but not to view whites as privileged or degrading towards subordinate groups. My group was never seen at fault for oppression or took any responsibility for it. Myself, nor my peers, were ever seen or viewed as unfairly advantaged or privileged. I grew up under the impression that any person could achieve what they wanted if they simply worked hard
Ever since the women’s suffrage movement of the 1920s, there has been a push for eliminating sexism and providing equality between men and women, especially in the workplace. The United States, along with most of the world, has made great strides in gender equality since then. Women can vote, and have careers, and men are able to stay home with the children if they choose to. But are the sexes really equal now? There are three common answers to this question. Some say yes, while the most common answer is no. The debate does not end there, however. It is typically assumed gender inequality is oppressing women and limiting their rights. Regardless, there are those who say the system is harming men instead. So, if gender inequality still exists,
America has had plenty of racial unrest, and what 's shocking is how we continue to ignore its side effects. Many people believe white privilege does not exist or it’s not a real thing even though America was built by white people, with a foundation for whites. White privilege is prevalent in America. They believe there is no way the color of someone’s skin, gives them a privilege. In reality, it does. No matter how much we ignore the fact, that the color of your skin can change the way you live, it’s true. It’s not fair, but it’s true.
Gender order according to our text is labeled as “hierarchal” (2008), stating that “Men dominate women in terms of wealth, power, and social position, but not all men dominate all women” (2008). While this may be true, it is creating a divide between the two genders. This divide is apparent by looking at the pay scales between men and women, and even how the genders are looked at in terms of jobs or college admissions. Looking at today’s society however, women are slowly rising to compete with their male counterparts, in many ways, from education, government, and even television, for example Oprah Winfrey.
Another example of the little bit of privilege that I have, is religion. I am a Christian and America is a Christian nation. If I were to claim myself as Christian, I would probably be less ridiculed if a Muslim stated his/her religion. Not everyone in America are very welcoming towards other religions because they may or may not be affiliate with something bad. A lot of times, the only reason I have privilege is because of peoples preconceived notions. Someone would more likely give me special treatment because they have this assumption that I am better than the next option. I do have certain privileges, but in my opinion, it’s not enough to matter. The reason for this is mainly because of my race. The only privilege I have is because I am a Christian, or just got lucky and was better off than someone else. Beside race and religion, social class has a lot to do with the certain privileges I have. A key example is where I live. My father lives on a predominantly white side of town, and my mother lives on a predominantly black and Hispanic part of town. If I were to tell someone that I lived with my dad in said neighborhood, then I would most likely be considered better than others of
The concept of privilege intersects with the treatment of persons with disabilities in many ways. In order to first understand how it intersects we must first define the word privilege. Privilege refers to the “rights, advantages and protection enjoyed by some at the expense of and beyond the rights, advantages, and protections available to others” (= , Ch 5). According to Peggy McIntosh, “We usually think of privilege as being a favored state, whether earned or conferred by birth or luck” (White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, 2). Privilege intersects with the treatment of people with disabilities because “privilege is socially constructed to benefit the member of the dominant group” (=, ch 5). For example, an able-bodied person does
What is privilege? What does it mean? Is privilege inherited or is it earned? As an American resident of color I’ve learned that privilege in this country is something that is innate and inherited. The privilege that I speak of is that of White privilege.
For the past century, the United States of America has made countless advancements in technology, medicine, and many other fronts. As a society, it has advanced at an incredible rate, becoming a major world power in an incredibly short period of time. The biggest barriers that America is working on are currently taking place within its own borders; civil rights and the battle for equality have men and women of every race up and arms. Specifically, the fight against sexism is the most modern struggle in America. Discrimination against women is harmful to both men and women; it holds women back into a useless position and forces men to take the brunt of the work. Men are expected to work, but women are almost expected not to, and instead "be nothing more than dangling, decorative ornaments--non-thinking and virtually non-functional” (Chisholm 4). There is progress to be made in the American society in its attitude and treatment of women. Gender inequality continues to be a social problem in the business, family, and personal lives of women.
1. (a) Privilege is defined as a favor or right granted to some people, but not to everyone.
Women are usually targeted because they are seen as the inferior gender in society. They are often displayed as sexual objects in the media, such as in porn and video games. Because of the way women are portrayed in society, they do not have the same opportunities as men. Many people may think that sexism is not an important issue anymore because women are making their way to the top. For instance, Mary Berara, the CEO of General Motors says “There are more women in more senior roles than in 1980 when I started. But from my career perspective, I don 't go into a room and take count. I want to be recognized for my contribution and for what I do” (nymag). Women are pushing themselves to work in higher positions, to prove that they have the same ability as men. Although women are becoming more and more powerful, sexism is still a huge issue today. Women may have higher positions, but they are paid less than men. According to a news article, “In 2012, the median earnings of American women working full time year-round were $37,791. American men earned a median income of $49,398. The gender wage gap has hovered at about 77 cents on the dollar since 2007” (huffington). This proves that sexism is present today since women working in the same jobs as men are paid a lower
Money can give people a lot opportunities and privilege. Financially privileged people have no trouble getting materialistic things such as big houses, expensive cars, and jewelry. Being privileged can also provide better scholastic education as well as respect. On the other hand, a lack of money, as a person might guess, limits opportunity and lower a person’s status on the privilege pole. In order for an underprivileged person to have all of those things, they have to work hard to get to get the luxuries of nice houses, cars, and jewelry. As far as education goes, the underprivileged might not go to the best schools but they get an education that will prove to be more valuable in life; they learn to earn respect, appreciate what they have and how to survive with just the necessities and what’s really important in life. So when a person looks at each group and tries to decided with one gets the most out of life, they will see that underprivileged individuals get so much more out of life than a person who came up in affluence and privilege.