| Revision as of 16:18, 4 August 2005 view sourceOnesong (talk | contribs)36 editsmNo edit summary← Previous edit | Revision as of 17:08, 4 August 2005 view source David91 (talk | contribs)4,332 edits I agree about the spelling of "sati". I lost faith when I found the page "suttee". All the best.Next edit → | ||
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| Compensation for male privilege takes place in a difficult and ever-changing territory. Most individual males are not directly responsible for male privilege but, as a group, they may resent being directly targeted by anti-discrimination or ] laws, recognising that they may lose the benefits of ] power. Most Western countries have enacted ] supposedly intended to mitigate the disparity between men and women, but these laws have not produced a consistent outcome. Many women fear the ramifications of taking formal action to address perceived gender bias. The practical adverse consequences include loss of work, difficulties in finding a new position, and gaining a reputation as a difficult employee. Because social contacts are very important in the business world, and disapproval from both male and female colleagues can be so strong, many women refrain from litigating problems that arise in an ] of male privilege, such as ] and ]. Add to this the fact that the courts in many countries are male-dominated and the result is that only a few of the more obvious abuses of male privilege are subjected to effective scrutiny and remedial action. | Compensation for male privilege takes place in a difficult and ever-changing territory. Most individual males are not directly responsible for male privilege but, as a group, they may resent being directly targeted by anti-discrimination or ] laws, recognising that they may lose the benefits of ] power. Most Western countries have enacted ] supposedly intended to mitigate the disparity between men and women, but these laws have not produced a consistent outcome. Many women fear the ramifications of taking formal action to address perceived gender bias. The practical adverse consequences include loss of work, difficulties in finding a new position, and gaining a reputation as a difficult employee. Because social contacts are very important in the business world, and disapproval from both male and female colleagues can be so strong, many women refrain from litigating problems that arise in an ] of male privilege, such as ] and ]. Add to this the fact that the courts in many countries are male-dominated and the result is that only a few of the more obvious abuses of male privilege are subjected to effective scrutiny and remedial action. | ||
| In other cultures, compensating for male privilege is not even a remote possibility. For example, the disparity between male and female rights in some countries makes murder or ritualised rape an acceptable male response to specified female behaviour. Even in countries that formally enact laws to criminalise ], they are rarely prosecuted. Several cases of ] occur each year, and even when death is avoided, widowhood in high-] ] cultures can still have |
In other cultures, compensating for male privilege is not even a remote possibility. For example, the disparity between male and female rights in some countries makes murder or ritualised rape an acceptable male response to specified female behaviour. Even in countries that formally enact laws to criminalise ], they are rarely prosecuted. Several cases of ] occur each year, and even when death is avoided, widowhood in high-] ] cultures can still have unfortunate consequences by Western standards. In other countries, women are not allowed out in public unless accompanied by a male relative, are not allowed to drive cars, and are not allowed to show their faces. Some of these ] are based on ] laws, and some on long-standing ]. In either case, agitation for change in these ] is generally frowned upon. Several ] and women’s groups, however, have been pushing for change within these countries for decades and, in some cases, have achieved and continue to achieve more equitable systems. | ||
| == Texts on Power Systems == | == Texts on Power Systems == | ||
Revision as of 17:08, 4 August 2005
‘’Male privilege’’ is a term used to describe the rights granted to the male population in society on the basis of their biological sex. The female, transsexual, transgender, and sometimes the gay male populations are usually denied these rights. Male privilege is only one of many power structures within a given society, and levels/manifestations of male privilege differ both between disparate societies as well as in different contexts within the same society. It is vital that male privilege is seen not as a solitary occurrence of the use of power, but rather as one of many systemic power structures that are interdependent and interlinked throughout societies.
Male privilege is not universally acknowledged as a real phenomenon, although the majority of Western societies have enacted legislation or signed treaties committing them to closing the gender gap, thereby acknowledging the disparity through word, if not deed by way of enforcement, an omission leading some to argue that male privilege is simply a pessimistic view of natural gender differences.
Determining Male Privilege
In 2005, the Geneva-based World Economic Forum published a study entitled Women’s Empowerment: Measuring the Gender Gap. Using five critical areas, this study quantified the achievements that women in fifty-eight different countries have attained compared to their male counterparts. The five criteria defined by the study were economic participation representing the principle 'equal remuneration for equal work'; economic opportunity through access to the general labour market rather than low-paid, unskilled jobs; political empowerment reflecting the extent to which women are represented in decision-making structures; educational attainment including access to education at all levels; and over-all health and well-being including access to reproductive healthcare (). The report also states, “The survey also provides rare information on issues such as childcare availability and cost, the impact of maternity laws on the hiring of women, the prevalence of private sector employment of women and wage inequality” ().
It is interesting to note that the top five positions are held entirely by Nordic countries. The top ten list is as follows:
The bottom ten countries in the study are:
Cultural Factors Regarding Male Privilege
In every aspect of modern life in politics, the law, the churches, the business world, the schools, and the family, the issue of gender discrimination has grown in significance. The core assumption is that sexuality and sexual behaviour are not natural outcomes, a simple result of their genetics or biology. Instead, sexuality is said to be a social construction, that men and women are nurtured and encouraged through societal pressures to become what the majority considers appropriate members of the ambient society. These assigned gender roles carry with them packages of rights and duties, and these packages are different depending on whether the individual is male or female.
Sex- or gender-based differentiation is widely pervasive, although it manifests itself differently in different cultural contexts. For example, it is evidenced by the glass ceiling and the wage gap in Western cultures, female genital mutilation in Africa, dowry-related violence in Asian cultures, and the trafficking of women and young girls across the world. A general analysis of the privileged status of men within the existing power structures of each society should be undertaken, and, for this purpose, all barriers to free speech should be removed to enable culturally local voices to articulate their understandings of male privilege.
Compensating for Male Privilege
Compensation for male privilege takes place in a difficult and ever-changing territory. Most individual males are not directly responsible for male privilege but, as a group, they may resent being directly targeted by anti-discrimination or affirmative action laws, recognising that they may lose the benefits of patriarchal power. Most Western countries have enacted laws supposedly intended to mitigate the disparity between men and women, but these laws have not produced a consistent outcome. Many women fear the ramifications of taking formal action to address perceived gender bias. The practical adverse consequences include loss of work, difficulties in finding a new position, and gaining a reputation as a difficult employee. Because social contacts are very important in the business world, and disapproval from both male and female colleagues can be so strong, many women refrain from litigating problems that arise in an environment of male privilege, such as sexual harassment and favouritism. Add to this the fact that the courts in many countries are male-dominated and the result is that only a few of the more obvious abuses of male privilege are subjected to effective scrutiny and remedial action.
In other cultures, compensating for male privilege is not even a remote possibility. For example, the disparity between male and female rights in some countries makes murder or ritualised rape an acceptable male response to specified female behaviour. Even in countries that formally enact laws to criminalise honour killings, they are rarely prosecuted. Several cases of sati occur each year, and even when death is avoided, widowhood in high-caste Hindu cultures can still have unfortunate consequences by Western standards. In other countries, women are not allowed out in public unless accompanied by a male relative, are not allowed to drive cars, and are not allowed to show their faces. Some of these regulations are based on religious laws, and some on long-standing misogyny. In either case, agitation for change in these societies is generally frowned upon. Several NGOs and women’s groups, however, have been pushing for change within these countries for decades and, in some cases, have achieved and continue to achieve more equitable systems.
Texts on Power Systems
- Judith Butler: Bodies That Matter
- Mary Daly Gyn/Ecology: The Metaethics of Radical Feminism
- Simone de Beauvoir: The Second Sex
- Michel Foucault: The History of Sexuality, Archeology of Knowledge
- Betty Friedan: The Feminine Mystique
- Germaine Greer: The Female Eunuch
- Maria Lugones: Pilgrimages: Theorizing Coalition Against Multiple Oppressions
- Catharine MacKinnon: Sex Equality: Sexual Harrassment
- Uma Narayan Dis/locating Cultures/Identitites, Traditions, and Third World Feminism