Question

In 100-150 words:

What does it mean to have privilege and why might those who have privilege not generally think of themselves as privileged?

Answer 1

In sociology the concept of privilege expresses a social theory that special rights or advantages are available only to a particular person or group of people. The term is commonly used in the context of social inequality, particularly in regard to age, disability, ethnic or racial category, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion and/or social class.

While white, middle class men may be oblivious to their inherited advantages, those who differ from the norm are always being made aware of their difference, whether it is because of the street harassment endured by young women or the fact that people with foreign-sounding names have to lodge more than 60% more applications to get hired as their Anglo-Celtic rivals.This obliviousness is often why men don’t turn up to workshops on gender equality and why there is such resistance to corrective mechanisms such as gender targets at work.

American sociologist Michael Kimmel describes the state of having privilege as being "like running with the wind at your back", unaware of invisible sustenance, support and propulsion. McIntosh wrote that most people are reluctant to acknowledge their privilege, and instead look for ways to justify or minimize the effects of privilege stating that their privilege was fully earned. They justify this by acknowledging the acts of individuals of unearned dominance, but deny that privilege is institutionalized as well as embedded throughout our society.