GLPH 171 Module 4

power and privilege

intersect with various aspects of one's social identity

sylvia duckworth

educator and author created wheel of power and privilege

wheel of power and privilege

illustrates how power and privileges intersect with social identities

wheel of power and privilege layout

identities commonly associated with power in mainstream western societies or groups are in the centre and identities commonly associated with less power or marginalization are on the outside

aspects of identity

personal physical attributes, language spoken, accent, food choices, family events or traditions

personal physical attributes

how someone looks

identity and health outcomes

some features have direct associations but most related to individual experiences of advantage or disadvantage throughout life

identity and health outcomes direct associations

marfan syndrome is more common in tall, lean people

marfan syndrome

genetic condition affecting connective tissue

connective tissue

provides support for body and organs

factors associated with individual's level of privilege or marginalization in societal context

sexual orientation, class/SES, geographic region, religion, gender identity, employment, physical ability, physical appearance, handedness, language, nation of origin, ethnicity, families' relation to education, money, housing, and neighbourhoods, families' language of origin

health-behaviour related factors

lifestyle factors very much linked to factors of privilege or marginalization and affect health

key health-behaviour related factors

smoker or non-smoker, substance use practices, current body mass index, exercise behaviours, diet behaviours, sleep behaviours, current stress management practices, participation in healthy leisure or social activities, active involvement in community

oppression

opposite to privilege that is a mixture of institutional power and prejudice that manifests and creates disadvantages for specific groups

oppression manifestation levels

individual beliefs, interpersonal interactions, institutional biases, societal norms

societal norms

collective ideas about what is "right"

institutional biases examples

legal system, education system, public policy, hiring practices, media images

interpersonal interactions examples

actions, behaviours, language

individual beliefs examples

feelings, beliefs, values

race

distinct from culture and ethnicity and a social construct and conceptual categorization based on physical characteristics of people in groups

physical characteristics

skin colour, hair colour, hair texture, facial and bodily feautres

race as social construct

humans share 99.9 percent of DNA with each other meaning race is not biologically based but socially constructred

genetic variability across racial groups

greater within racial categories than across racial groups

contextually-based

changing conception of racial identity over time and location

racial categorization and power

historically used to enforce/reinforce power differentials between groups

race and structure of social hierarchy

used among many groups by assigning human value based on how close one is to whiteness

race is an idea created by humans

with no basis in biology!

racism

false belief in superiority of one group of people over another based on race

distinguish between

culture, ethnicity, race, racism

racism effects

unfairly disadvantages some individuals and communities, unfairly advantages other individuals and communities, saps strength of whole society by wasting human resources

racial discrimination levels

personally-mediated/interpersonal racism, internalized racism, institutional/systemic racism

personally-mediated/interpersonal racism

racial prejudice and racial discrimination between one individual or group and another individual or group and what most people think of as racism

racial prejudice

differential assumptions about abilities, motives, and intentions of other according to race

racial discrimination

differential actions toward others according to race

personally-mediated/interpersonal racism can be

intention or unintentional and doing specific things or unspecific things

personally-mediated/interpersonal racism examples

acts of commission, acts of omission, maintaining structural barriers, condoned by societal norms

personally-mediated/interpersonal racism categories

lack of respect, suspicion, devaluation, dehumanization, name calling, bullying on racial grounds, physical acts of violence, hate graffiti, racial jokes

lack of respect examples

poor or no service and failure to communicate options

suspicion examples

shopkeepers' vigilance, everyday avoidance, street crossing, purse clutching, standing when there are empty seats

devaluation examples

surprise at competence and stifling of aspirations

dehumanization examples

police brutality, sterilization, abuse, hate crimes

internalized racism

negative messages about one's intrinsic values and talents accepted by members of stigmatized racial group about themselves

internalized racism causes

doubt in themselves and people who look like them, accepting restrictions of one's own full humanity including aspirations, decision making, and capacity for self-expression

internalized racism categories

embracing of "whiteness", self-devaluation, resignation, helplessness, hopelessness, not applying for things, not being a leader

embracing of "whiteness" examples

use of hair straighteners and bleaching creams, stratification by skin tone in communities of colour, "the white man's ice is colder" syndrome

"the white man's ice is colder" syndrome

saying representing black people have been racistly coerced into thinking white people and their products and services are more credible and legitimate

self-devaluation examples

using racial slurs as nicknames not for resistant and rejection of ancestral culture and language

resignation, helplessness, and hopelessness examples

dropping out of school, failing to vote, engaging in risky health practices

institutionalized/systemic racism

fixed into organizational or societal structures including rules, regulations, laws, and norms and expressed through discriminatory situations and practices in institutional domains

institutional domains

education, political representation, criminal justice, housing, employment, healthcare

institutionalized/systemic racism interactions

with other systems of oppression to influence distribution of resources of all kinds

other systems of oppression

income and wealth, decision-making power, cultural images that are preferences

institutionalized racism examples

historical institutional insults, ongoing structural barriers to participation and support, inaction in face of need or exclusion, exclusionary societal norms, unearned advantage and disadvantage

institutionalized/systemic racism categories

distribution of resources and material goods and power

distribution of resources and material goods examples

unequal access to good health car, decent housing, gainful employment, clean environment

asymmetical power access examples

differential access to wealth, organizational networks, information including one's own history, and voice

racial segregation and education examples

residential segregation into parts of city, state, or town, city sanitation policies concreting environmental hazards disproportionately in communities where black, indigenous and people of colour live, racial inequities in education

racism in justice system examples

treatment versus criminalization of drug use, disproportionately high incarceration rates among black and indigenous versus white people, racist policing, racial profiling

racism in policy, work, religion, and administrative examples

racial injustices in immigration policies, racial discrimination in manual labour jobs, ignorance of experience or needs of religious or ethnic minority groups, requiring administrative hurdles to be eligible or welcome at certain service provision situations

racial equity

just and fair inclusion into society in which all people no matter racial identity can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential

racial inequity causes

from any forms of racism but especially institutionalized racism

racial inequity

works cumulatively and produces vastly adverse outcomes for black, indigenous, and people of colour in areas of health, wealth, career, education, infrastructure, and civic participation

job discrimination study example

easier for white male with felony conviction to get a job than black male with clean record

white supremacy

system assuming practices of whiteness are right of organizing human life

anti-indigenous and anti-black racism

specific and targeted forms of racism

anti-indigenous racism

permanent occupation of territory and removal of indigenous peoples with express purpose of building ethnically distinct national community

anti-indigenous racism history

assimilation, cultural genoicide, myths of canada as place of immigrant and settler founding

anti-black racism

legacies of colonialism, immigration, forced settlements, history of slavery in canada, common practices and particular laws resulting in absence of opportunities and outcomes for black people, general lack of equitable access

pathway to racial health inequity

not by genetic or biological predisposition to particular health states in certain individuals or populations but root causes

race and health

unjust differences in health outcomes and opportunities to be healthy exist between socially derived racial groups or categories

pathway to racial health inequity root causes

colonial and racist ideologies, stereotypes, prejudice, experiences of racial discrimination

colonial and racial ideology (worldview)

white supremacy, settler colonialism, structural racism

stereotypes based on race (beliefs)

negative, exaggerated beliefs, fixed images, or distorted ideas held by a person, group, political/economic decision maker are embedded in and reinforced by oppressive power relations

prejudice (attitudes)

way of thinking based on stereotypes is embedded in and reinforced by oppressive power relations

racial discrimination (behaviour)

action or inaction made possible implicitly or explicitly by oppressive power relations

racial discrimination examples

individual behaviours, institutional practices, societal policies and norms

racial health inequity (impact)

inequitable social and health outcomes and experiences

specific example how racism can affect people's environments and health

racial segregation

racial segregation

physical separation of races by enforced residence in different areas

segregation laws

imposed by legislation, supported by economic institutions, and by ideology of white supremacy

racial segregation in united states

ensured white people were not in proximity to black people

SES and race in north america

originated from distinct historical events and continues due to modern structural factors perpetuating those historical injustices

institutionalized racism

reason for link between SES and race in canada and united states

racial segregation reason

not problem of concentration or race but problem related to concentration of social adversity, inequity, and injustice

income and racial segregation are related to...

differential access to quality education and employment, conditions making it challenging for some to adhere to good health, concentration of poverty and wealth, differential access to necessary social infrastructure, differential exposure to environmental toxins, differential access to health care and quality of care

william and collins 2001 article

mixed results but most studies reviewed suggest that residential segregation is strongly associated with low birth weight, preterm birth, cancer, SRH, smoking, and homicide

bias and discrimination in health care

racist attitudes limit access to appropriate health care and very serious issue

racial disparities in health care causes

socio-economic factors, under-representation of racialized groups in medical professions, limitations in communication in health context, inaccess to culturally sensitive care, discrimination in clinical-decision making and its related health outcome disparities

structural racism

complex systems of organizations, institutions, processes, and policies creating and perpetuating social, economic, and political arrangements harmful to specific groups and our society as a whole

structural racism example

redlining

redlining

discriminating in approval or loan or insurance applications leading to poor health outcomes

race and diabetes prevelance

prevelance of diabetes in black canadian adults was 2.1 times higher than white canadians

race and physical activity

40.8% of black canadians aged 18 and older were active compared to 54.2% of white canadians

physical activity

related directly to prevelance of many chronic illnesses

race and alcohol use and smoking

black canadians reported significantly lower rates of heavy alcohol and smoking compared to white candians

differential health outcomes by racial groups reasons

socioeconomic influences, differential exposures and environments in childhood, experiences of racism, differential exposures to health promoting environments and supports

COVID-19 cases of american indian or alaska native persons compared to white persons

1.8x

COVID-19 hospitalizations of hispanic or latino persons compared to white persons

4.1x

COVID-19 deaths of black and hispanic or latino persons compared to white persons

2.8x

centre for disease control in USA deaths before age 75 from treatable acute and chronic causes data

black people are more likely to die early than white people