Privilege Paper 

Deposit into D2L DropBox

Your paper should be approximately 3 typed pages & include:

Part A: Social Location

1.) What is your social location? Your social location means:  which social identity groups do you belong to?  Note your location on at least six social identity groups (i.e. race/ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, physical ability, religion etc.).

2.) In which of these social identity groups that you identified are you part of the dominant group(s)? Which are considered part of the subordinate group(s)?

Part 2: Privilege

1.)  Briefly define “Privilege.” I have attached a pdf copy of McIntosh’s classic work on white privilege (see D2L), a recent list (below) regarding gender privilege, compiled by the “Tech Lady Mafia” (a group of women involved in the creation of apps & computer game technology), and a few items from a male privilege list created by Barry Deutsch. This requires each of us to spend some time reflecting on what it means to be “privileged”, ways in which we may wish we were privileged, and how this affects the lives of girls and women in our culture. You may also incorporate intersectionality into your paper, if you identify with more than one social location.

2.)  Identify and briefly describe up to 10 privileges, &/or wishes for privilege, that pertain to your current or future life.   When possible, try to back up your statements with a reference.  You can write a paragraph or two for each, or present them in a list format.  Example:  I might wish that there were more female leaders at major corporations.  It is easy to back this up with a reference from the textbook chapter on women and work.  Be creative.  & it is okay to modify or disagree with some of the other checklist items I have given you as examples to reflect on.

3.)  Conclusions:  Any individual thoughts, feelings, reactions, followed by wider, broader conclusions regarding western culture and what is left to be done/undone during the 3^rd wave of feminism.

The Male Privilege Checklist  (from a larger list by Barry Deutsch)

1. My odds of being hired for a job, when competing against female applicants, are probably skewed in my favor. The more prestigious the job, the larger the odds are skewed.
2. I can be confident that my co-workers won’t think I got my job because of my sex – even though that might be true.
3. If I am never promoted, it’s not because of my sex.
4. If I fail in my job or career, I can feel sure this won’t be seen as a black mark against my entire sex’s capabilities.
5. I am far less likely to face sexual harassment at work than my female co-workers are.
6. If I do the same task as a woman, and if the measurement is at all subjective, chances are people will think I did a better job.
7. If I’m a teen or adult, and if I can stay out of prison, my odds of being raped are relatively low.
8. On average, I am taught to fear walking alone after dark in average public spaces much less than my female counterparts are.
9. If I choose not to have children, my masculinity will not be called into question.
10. If I have children but do not provide primary care for them, my masculinity will not be called into question.
11. If I have children and provide primary care for them, I’ll be praised for extraordinary parenting if I’m even marginally competent.
12. If I have children and a career, no one will think I’m selfish for not staying at home.
13. If I seek political office, my relationship with my children, or who I hire to take care of them, will probably not be scrutinized by the press.