The Privileged.

[swestrup]

I was reading a list of ways in which Males are privileged in our society. I tend to agree with the list, although I have issues with #25 (which are pretty much resolved in the linked discussion) and disagree with #45 completely, as my usual experience is that when in a group of women I can never get a word in edgewise, but that isn't the case when in a group of men.

Oh, and to be fair, here's a list of ways in which Females are privileged in our society. I obviously can't say whether most females would agree with this list, but they do appear generally valid.

Comparing the two lists, it would appear that men are generally more privileged that women in our society (a conclusion that should surprise no one) although I think they both pale in comparison to the list of privileges we have simply from being in our society, as opposed to some other.

Comments

[thebabynancy.livejournal.com]

7. I have a much better chance of being considered to be a worthy mate for someone, even if I’m unemployed with little money, than a man.

O_o

[swestrup]

Men are FAR more often judged on the basis of their earnings than women are.

[thebabynancy.livejournal.com]

I do not dispute that. That statement reads as if I am unemployed or make less money that I am worthy as a mate - period.

[swestrup]

No, it says that your score as a potential mate is higher than it would be if you were male and unemployed or with low money.

Basically this is because the men generally disregard the economic status of a woman when determining their worth as a mate.

[thebabynancy.livejournal.com]

Sorry, what I meant to say was... I didn't even get to the more than a man portion of the statement. :D

[swestrup]

Ah, okay.

[taxlady.livejournal.com]

I disagree to some extent with #17, "As a child, I could choose from an almost infinite variety of children’s media featuring positive, active, non-stereotyped heroes of my own sex. I never had to look for it; male protagonists were (and are) the default."

Maybe I haven't seen enough of this stuff, but I find a lot of the males very stereotyped.

[swestrup]

Actually, that's a very good point!

[angorian.livejournal.com]

There are definitely some valid things on the list but they seem to have taken a couple points and split them up to pad the list. I would combine quite a number into just "it is acceptable for me to show emotional vulnerability" and maybe "I can express affection for my friends". Also, I take some issue with bothering to include items that appear to be genetic rather than societal privileges. Saying "I'll live longer than most men" is about like having "I'm stronger than most women" on the male privilege list. Sure it's a privilege, but it misses the point that it's more just an innate difference in biology. I'm also quite curious about the stats backing up #3, unless domestic violence is stupidly not counted as "violent assault". #23 sounds highly subjective and illogical to me.

While I think it's valuable for everyone to realise where they're privileged since it may help them to extend those privileges to others, I think treating this lists as at all comparable is a mistake. The type of privilege conferred by some of the male items are vastly more powerful privileges (e.g. that most elected representatives, high-level execs, and religious leaders are men) that re-inforce the gender-biased privileges in generally.

[swestrup]

I'll assume you're talking about the female privilege list, since you don't say. I have to agree that I thought a large number of the items on that list could be condensed. Then again, I thought a number of the ones on the male list could also be combined. I think there were more on the female list though.

As for #3, I'm pretty sure that domestic violence counts as violent assault, and I'd still be surprised if the stats didn't support #3. Male society can be a lot more violent than many women realize.

#23 may be subjective, but I also think its true. A woman may find it hard to find an ACCEPTABLE sexual partner, while many men find it hard to find ANY at all. Whether this counts as a privilege is, however, very debatable.