Power and Privilege Notes

Power and Privilege

  • This chapter explores how power dynamics influence social identities and contribute to sexism. It examines social characteristics, stereotypes, prejudice, discrimination, and the role of language in maintaining gender hierarchies.

2.1 Not Just One

  • Social Identity: An individual's sense of self is shaped by various social characteristics, including race/ethnicity, social class, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, and age. These affiliations with different social groups contribute to a person's social identity (Tajfel & Turner, 1979).
  • Social identity is deeply personal, influencing how individuals experience and express themselves, while also connecting them to others through shared group membership (Shields, 2008; Cohen & Garcia, 2005).
  • ADDRESSING Model: Pamela Hays (1996; 2016) developed a model that reflects social stratification, where people are ranked in a hierarchy based on dimensions of power. These dimensions are:
    • Age and generational influences
    • Disability
    • Religion and spiritual orientation
    • Ethnic and racial identity
    • Social class
    • Sexual orientation
    • Indigenous heritage
    • National origin
    • Gender
  • Being white, male, able-bodied, heterosexual, cisgender, well-educated, and middle-aged are categories typically deemed powerful in contemporary society.
  • Intersectionality: Different types of oppression (e.g., racism, classism, heterosexism, cissexism, ableism, sexism) are interconnected and cannot be examined separately (Crenshaw, 1993).
    • Cake Analogy: Each social characteristic is an ingredient in a cake, where individual ingredients change form and interact with each other, creating something fundamentally different (Ken, 2010).
    • Example: Gender (sugar) and religion (eggs) combine to create a unique flavor that cannot be separated.
  • Research supports the idea that individuals perceive inseparable links among their various social characteristics (Crocetti et al., 2018; Juan et al., 2016).
    • Black women, for instance, may rate the combination of a Black-woman identity as more important than race (Black) or gender (woman) alone (Settles, 2006).
  • Social identities are intertwined and complex, with access to power varying based on different dimensions. Some people may have more power due to one aspect of their identity but less power due to another.
  • Matrix of Domination: The idea that different systems of bias interconnect and stem from social stratification (Collins, 1990). Eradicating sexism requires ending other interconnecting oppressions (e.g., racism, classism).

Power Hierarchies

  • Meritocracy Myth: The widely held perception that merit is the primary reason some people have more than others.
  • Privilege: Social, economic, and/or political advantages people enjoy simply because they are part of a certain group (McIntosh, 1989). Privilege results in tangible benefits, such as increased security and access to resources (Case, 2013).
  • Table 2.2 (Dominant vs. Subordinate Groups Characteristics)
    • Dominant Groups: Access to power and resources; establish norms; limited awareness of subordinate groups; believed to be competent and credible; have their truth validated; seen as individuals; have a sense of belonging.
    • Subordinate Groups: Reduced access to power and resources; seen as deviant; greater awareness of dominant groups; viewed suspiciously; have their experiences dismissed, seen as representing a group; feel invisible or hyper-visible.
  • Unearned Entitlements: Things of value that ideally should be provided to everyone but aren’t (Johnson, 2006; McIntosh, 1989).
    • Example: Boys' sports teams receive more fanfare and publicity than girls' teams.
    • Having high school sports only in wealthier districts.
  • Privileged groups are considered