Read the assigned readings below before proceeding with this assignment. You should always take notes as you work through the content,

Read the assigned readings below before proceeding with this assignment. You should always take notes as you work through the content, perhaps using a note-taker like this oneLinks to an external site.. Save your notes in a dedicated folder for this class. 

• "Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack"Links to an external site. by Peggy McIntosh

Hierarchy & Stratification

Hierarchy refers to an organizing principle in society where some are ranked higher and have more power than others. These hierarchies are replicated in our schools, workplaces, and other institutions. For example, consider the pyramid structure of the employees at most workplaces. There tends to be one boss at the top of the period, and then several managers below them with slightly less power, and then lots of employees at the bottom with the least amount of power. The further up the pyramid, the fewer people there are, and the power becomes more concentrated. Because hierarchies are a prevailing organizing structure in our society, members of society tend to internalize this idea and it becomes our default lens for viewing the world–something that we'll have to work hard to dismantle in our own minds!

Another way to describe hierarchy is with the term stratification. While it doesn't follow the pyramid shape described above, the result of stratification in society means that one group has more power over another. In a gender stratified society like ours, men have more power.

Gender Stratification Video

Watch the 10-minute video to learn more about this concept. Pause the video as you come across the key terms below to take notes.

Key Terms in the video:

gender stratification, emphasized femininity, hegemonic masculinity, gender pay gap, glass ceiling, second shift

https://youtu.be/Yb1_4FPtzrI

Privilege

One result of hierarchical thinking is privilege. I've noticed that many people tend to feel more comfortable talking about inequality and oppression than talking about privilege (especially their own)–but if one person is oppressed, by definition, someone else isn't. The person free from this oppression or inequality is in a position of privilege.

Consider the gender wage gap. If women, on average, earn less than men, that means that men, on average earn more. If Latina women, on average, earn less than white women, that means that white women earn more. We focus more on the lack and less on the group that has an advantage.

Discussing privilege means discussing those advantages. Talking about our own privileges can make us a little uncomfortable. Yet, nearly all of us are in the position of privilege at least sometimes, and it's not an insult to anyone to say so! The word "privilege" is simply a tool for discussing the world around us.

Please watch the video below:

We're going to focus on white privilege for a moment because it was McIntosh's about white privilege, "Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack," that popularized the term privilege in the first place. Remember, though, that privilege can apply to gender, sexual orientation, ability, and other categories of identity.

 Here are some highlights from throughout McIntosh's writing about privilege; I've italicized a few words for emphasis:

• Privilege can be defined as an unearned admission, position or advantage granted to a particular person or group of individuals. 
• Privilege affords an individual or group of individuals membership in the dominant group.
• McIntosh  writes, “[i]f one has membership in dominant groups and therefore power, one thinks of one’s thinking as normal and accurate. . . [d]ominant behavior thinking rules out the need to explain anything that doesn’t seem normal to dominant groups."
• McIntosh argues that privilege is the “up-side of discrimination.”

This video helps illustrate privilege:

The concepts of hierarchy and privilege come up a lot in discussions of gender. Optional: View the TedTalk below to help you navigate those conversations. The takeaway is that it's ok to get it wrong when you're talking about sensitive and difficult subjects. When talking about race, gender, sexual orientation, etc–especially when you're in the privileged position–it can be hard to see your unconscious biases. So when someone suggests that you've said something problematic, just know that it's just something you need to work on. It's not a reflection of you as a person. Personally, when someone is so kind as to gently point out something problematic that I've done or said, I try to be like Maya Angelou says and do better!

Image of Maya Angelou with this quote: "Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better."

Optional: Watch the video below for some advice on how to navigate these conversations:

Key Terms/Concepts

As you move through the course, take notes on your copy of the Key Terms/Concepts spreadsheetLinks to an external site..

Key Terms/Concepts in this lecture or readings:

• gender stratification
• gender pay gap
• privilege
• emphasized femininity
• hegemonic masculinity
• patriarchy
• glass ceiling
• second shift

What to Submit

For this assignment, answer the two questions below in one or two paragraphs each. You can either type on a document and upload it, or type your response directly into the text box.

Here are the questions:

"Privilege" is a foundational topic for this class. That means that other concepts build on it, so it's important to understand what it means.

1. Identify a quote from the reading, the lecture material, or one of the videos embedded in the lecture that helps you understand privilege. Provide the quote, and use it to explain what privilege means and how it applies to the study of gender.
2. How does privilege function in your life? Keeping in mind that each of us is usually in a position of privilege in some aspects, even if we're not in others, discuss how privilege functions in your life and that experience impacts you.