Female Privilege

I never understood 'white privilege' until I was subjected to the nastiness of women's privilege. I briefly considered that white privilege was a bit unfair given that we as white people do not feel privileged. Maybe we could consider the idea of black disadvantage instead. Black people face a disadvantage rather than white people having a privilege. I slight difference in semantics that describes the situation better, potentially. However, I now see it as white privilege. A privilege that people don't recognise as they have no need to. We simply take things for granted. We have become accustomed to how we are treated. We blithely assume things to be normal, to be fine as they are.

I was first struck by the unfair, unreasonable, disgusting theatre of women's privilege at school. A lad was scolding another lad. Dressing him down in no uncertain terms, admonishing his actions. Remonstrating, "You should never hit a girl", "that is the lowest of the low". Never hit women. The implied interpretation I got from that was that hitting a boy, a man is fine. We all understand that one punch kills. Whether by punching or stabbing or whatever, four men die for each woman that dies through violence in the United Kingdom. Girls had far less fear of violence meted out on them in school than the boys. They did not worry about that area of bullying at all. The boys on the other hand ran a daily gauntlet. Dodging, swerving, staying out of harm's way in order to survive. A constant threat of violence and intimidation. Girls were so, so privileged in that respect.

There is talk of the abhorrent femicide that renders South American countries unsafe for women. There are numerous casualties and an abundant risk of harm. There are many horrors that damage and kill men too. These are not reported on so widely. We don't feel the same need to investigate. When a hundred schoolgirls were abducted in Africa the media put a spotlight on the incident. Celebrities came out to boost their ratings. They were taken from a school that contained boys and girls. What happened to the boys? They didn't get a mention. Maybe there was no need for they were all killed, long before the news hit the headlines. Killed and their lives viewed as irrelevant, irrelevant simply because they were born male. Men don't count. It never ends. The war in Ukraine brought about a hasty law. Overnight, men of fighting age were forbidden to leave the country. Imagine the outcry if it was the women that were the ones forced to fight instead, and the men were given passage to a safe place.

Philosophy brings about change. People's attitude shifts when there is more consensus for the underlying philosophy. Direct action comes later when public opinion drops its bias. Bit by bit, there more and more people begin to push for change. Eventually laws manifest themselves to reflect that change in attitude. It may be a long time before we truly treat men and women equally. We prioritise women at the expense of men calling it chivalry. We have the feminism movement, sexist charities such as Women's Aid and a drive to enhance the protections afforded to women. What we don't have is anything remotely similar in place to help men. And the reason is because the philosophy behind it is missing. One day equality will mean equality for all, men and women, not just better and better justice for women alone to enjoy. I will never get over how my efforts to do something about sexism in dance was hampered by three ardent feminists.

thanks to Megan Sparks

Is female privilege something that most take for granted?

Privilege