How-To: Feminism

Chapter Three: ... Which Leads us to - PRIVILEGE

Ah, the p-word.

Perhaps the only thing that frightens a white, cis-man.

Privilege: 'a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group' ~ Dictionary.com

Every single person on the planet has privilege in some form or another. Society thrives on segregation; people are separated into boxes and some boxes fundamentally hold more worth than others.

But that's not to say that all privilege is worth the same. Having able-bodied privilege does not mean you are afforded the same opportunities as someone who has both able-bodied privilege and white privilege, or male privilege for example.

Privilege, like gender, and sexuality, and basically everything else when it comes to identity, is situated on a spectrum. People can have more or less privilege than others. It's what we do with our given opportunities that matter.

But why is it that the p-word is so scary? Simply acknowledging the fact that we all have privilege seems to be the hardest feat of all.

The answer is simple, really.

Once we admit that we are afforded more and better opportunities than others based on our fundamental and unchangeable differences, as a society we have to admit there is a problem within the structure that we base our lives.

And that calls for change, something that people in positions of power are not looking to accomplish. It's easy to not want change when the problem seemingly does not affect you.

It is also important to understand that privilege is not applied to one solitary act or occurrence. Privilege describes the systematic imbalance of power within our social structures.

Male privilege for example, is the concept that examines the social implications and benefits afforded to males that arise solely on the basis of sex. In a world ruled by the patriarchy, it's hard to ask for change when the people that you're asking are comfortable with the current system.

How can we ever observe gender equality when men are the ones benefitting from the injustices and ultimately, are the ones who write the laws?

The first step is the men in these positions of power using their privilege to advocate for change.

But using your privilege for good can be tricky. As someone who is white, I have to understand that my voice is not always necessary and should not be heard when it comes to advocating for non-white issues and rights. Instead, I should use my white privilege to uplift those around me who do not have the same privilege and let their voices be heard.

The same can be said for these men in positions in power. They first need to acknowledge the privilege they have and use their platforms as a way to encourage people who are not afforded the same privilege to use their voice. I cannot stress this enough - men should not be speaking on behalf of women, just as white people should not be speaking on behalf of people of colour.

As a person with privilege, if your voice is louder than those who have personal knowledge and experience with a particular issue, you are contributing to the systematic oppression of these marginalised people.

It is important to understand that just because you have privilege, that is not to say that your life is easy or that you don't have to work hard to achieve your goals.

Heterosexual people - nobody is saying that your life hasn't been difficult; but your sexuality has not hindered your ability to thrive.

High-class people - nobody is saying that your life hasn't been difficult; but your economic status and/or living arrangements has not hindered your ability to thrive.

Cis-men - nobody is saying that your life hasn't been difficult; but your gender identify and sex has not hindered your ability to thrive.

Sensing a pattern?

The privilege cycle is a vicious way to hold control over those who are deemed unworthy. People in high positions of power grant opportunities, whether subconsciously or not, to other people who hold privilege. This warped power dynamic keeps marginalised people in situations where they cannot afford to take a stand.

A prime example is that of educational racism. Black, Asian, Hispanic, and/or non-white passing people experience racism within the education system such that, graduating high school or attending university/college becomes increasingly difficult.

Whether that be from lack of resources, less funding, pre-disposed judgement from our educators, etc; the lack of higher education results in lower-paying jobs, which results in poorer living arrangements and less opportunity, thus, beginning the cycle all over again.

And this brings us to white feminism; something that should actively be avoided at all costs.

As a white person, I have been sheltered by the movements of the first, second, and third-waves of feminism.

Before I begin, let's take a brief look at some of the issues that were addressed by the different movements.

First-wave feminism: introduced in the 19th and early 20th century; focused primarily on political rights. I.e. the right to vote, the right to divorce, etc..

Second-wave feminism: from ~1920-1970; focused primarily on sexual autonomy. I.e. abortion rights, sexual freedom, body positivity, etc..

Third-wave feminism: from ~1980-2000; focused primarily on identity politics. I.e. LGBTQ+ rights, environmentalism, fat-positivity, etc..

These movements, whilst important in their own rights, were not inclusive or in any way intersectional.

Whilst women receiving the right to vote was a huge step forward at the time, it is our duty to acknowledge the fact that this was limited to white women only. In the U.S., white women were granted the right to vote in 1920, however, black women were not afforded this right until the 1960s [M. N. Prescod 1997, Shining in the Dark: Black Women and the Struggle for the Vote].

Throughout the second-wave of feminism, whilst white women were seeking the right to bodily autonomy, in Australia, Indigenous women had their children ripped out of their homes for the purpose of assimilation, dubbed appropriately as 'The Stolen Generation' [M. Clark 2000, 'Stolen Generation', Index on Censorship, vol. 29, no. 4, pp. 138-140].

To recognise and acknowledge the fact that similarities in identity does not mean equal privilege is the first step to creating a better, inclusive society. The term 'feminism' is never truly complete without the word intersectional.

Gender discrimination within society cannot be resolved until all women are heard.

LGBTQ+ women, women of colour, disabled women, poor women, fat women. Each group has a particular platform available to them and it is essential that we, as people with differing forms and levels of privilege, do not silence each other's voices.