Male Privilege Checklist

Walls

Hey - this is a new version of Peggy McIntosh’s White Male Privilege Checklist and is from here; http://www.amptoons.com/blog/the-male-privilege-checklist/. Let me know what you think of this…

The Male Privilege Checklist

1. My odds of being hired for a job, when competing against female applicants, are probably skewed in my favor. The more prestigious the job, the larger the odds are skewed.

2. I can be confident that my co-workers won’t think I got my job because of my sex - even though that might be true. (More).

3. If I am never promoted, it’s not because of my sex.

4. If I fail in my job or career, I can feel sure this won’t be seen as a black mark against my entire sex’s capabilities.

5. I am far less likely to face sexual harassment at work than my female co-workers are. (More).

6. If I do the same task as a woman, and if the measurement is at all subjective, chances are people will think I did a better job.

7. If I’m a teen or adult, and if I can stay out of prison, my odds of being raped are relatively low. (More).

8. On average, I am taught to fear walking alone after dark in average public spaces much less than my female counterparts are.

9. If I choose not to have children, my masculinity will not be called into question.

10. If I have children but do not provide primary care for them, my masculinity will not be called into question.

11. If I have children and provide primary care for them, I’ll be praised for extraordinary parenting if I’m even marginally competent. (More).

12. If I have children and a career, no one will think I’m selfish for not staying at home.

13. If I seek political office, my relationship with my children, or who I hire to take care of them, will probably not be scrutinized by the press.

14. My elected representatives are mostly people of my own sex. The more prestigious and powerful the elected position, the more this is true.

15. When I ask to see “the person in charge,” odds are I will face a person of my own sex. The higher-up in the organization the person is, the surer I can be.

16. As a child, chances are I was encouraged to be more active and outgoing than my sisters. (More).

17. As a child, I could choose from an almost infinite variety of children’s media featuring positive, active, non-stereotyped heroes of my own sex. I never had to look for it; male protagonists were (and are) the default.

18. As a child, chances are I got more teacher attention than girls who raised their hands just as often. (More).

19. If my day, week or year is going badly, I need not ask of each negative episode or situation whether or not it has sexist overtones.

20. I can turn on the television or glance at the front page of the newspaper and see people of my own sex widely represented, every day, without exception.

21. If I’m careless with my financial affairs it won’t be attributed to my sex.

22. If I’m careless with my driving it won’t be attributed to my sex.

23. I can speak in public to a large group without putting my sex on trial.

24. Even if I sleep with a lot of women, there is no chance that I will be seriously labeled a “slut,” nor is there any male counterpart to “slut-bashing.” (More).

25. I do not have to worry about the message my wardrobe sends about my sexual availability or my gender conformity. (More).

26. My clothing is typically less expensive and better-constructed than women’s clothing for the same social status. While I have fewer options, my clothes will probably fit better than a woman’s without tailoring. (More).

27. The grooming regimen expected of me is relatively cheap and consumes little time. (More).

28. If I buy a new car, chances are I’ll be offered a better price than a woman buying the same car. (More).

29. If I’m not conventionally attractive, the disadvantages are relatively small and easy to ignore.

30. I can be loud with no fear of being called a shrew. I can be aggressive with no fear of being called a bitch.

31. I can ask for legal protection from violence that happens mostly to men without being seen as a selfish special interest, since that kind of violence is called “crime” and is a general social concern. (Violence that happens mostly to women is usually called “domestic violence” or “acquaintance rape,” and is seen as a special interest issue.)

32. I can be confident that the ordinary language of day-to-day existence will always include my sex. “All men are created equal,” mailman, chairman, freshman, he.

33. My ability to make important decisions and my capability in general will never be questioned depending on what time of the month it is.

34. I will never be expected to change my name upon marriage or questioned if I don’t change my name.

35. The decision to hire me will never be based on assumptions about whether or not I might choose to have a family sometime soon.

36. Every major religion in the world is led primarily by people of my own sex. Even God, in most major religions, is pictured as male.

37. Most major religions argue that I should be the head of my household, while my wife and children should be subservient to me.

38. If I have a wife or live-in girlfriend, chances are we’ll divide up household chores so that she does most of the labor, and in particular the most repetitive and unrewarding tasks. (More).

39. If I have children with a wife or girlfriend, chances are she’ll do most of the childrearing, and in particular the most dirty, repetitive and unrewarding parts of childrearing.

40. If I have children with a wife or girlfriend, and it turns out that one of us needs to make career sacrifices to raise the kids, chances are we’ll both assume the career sacrificed should be hers.

41. Magazines, billboards, television, movies, pornography, and virtually all of media is filled with images of scantily-clad women intended to appeal to me sexually. Such images of men exist, but are rarer.

42. In general, I am under much less pressure to be thin than my female counterparts are. (More). If I am fat, I probably suffer fewer social and economic consequences for being fat than fat women do. (More).

43. If I am heterosexual, it’s incredibly unlikely that I’ll ever be beaten up by a spouse or lover. (More).

44. Complete strangers generally do not walk up to me on the street and tell me to “smile.” (More: 1 2).

45. On average, I am not interrupted by women as often as women are interrupted by men.

46. I have the privilege of being unaware of my male privilege.

cuckoo

Walls wrote: »

46. I have the privilege of being unaware of my male privilege.

Sad but true.

Is it also sad that in my next life i'd like to give being a male a whilrl? Nothing in this current society i live in, in Dublin '08, leads me to believe that being a female is all that great.

Kelly O'Malley

No thanks,I wouldn't be a man for quids but the truth of this posting makes my blood boil.

Didn't think of myself as a feminist at all until I read this,GRRRR!!!!

WindSock

Walls wrote: »

24. Even if I sleep with a lot of women, there is no chance that I will be seriously labeled a “slut,” nor is there any male counterpart to “slut-bashing.” (More).

That's because you have to work harder for it than us.

25. I do not have to worry about the message my wardrobe sends about my sexual availability or my gender conformity. (More).

Women have a more rich and varied wardrobe than men. Women can wear trousers, men can't wear skirts and make up etc.

Ghost Train

If you think about any group of people, you can make up a list of how they're more privilaged and treated better than you... while most of the the stuff on the list can be true, its not always that way.

i'm a guy and i'm sure I could imagine of plenty of ways why my life would suck less if i was a woman, but i'm not going to start worrying about it. But I pay more for car insurance, I'm more likely to be judged by what i earn or the job i have, i'm expected to play football for some reason, i'm expected to be able to drink endless pints of beer, i'm more likely to be randomly punched in the face and chances of the opposite sex hitting on me are lower than if i was female.

What do i think of the list, a lot of the stuff can be true and on average for the points made women get a worse deal, but theres is more to each point than simply what sex you are

DJ_Spider

WindSock wrote: »

Women have a more rich and varied wardrobe than men. Women can wear trousers, men can't wear skirts and make up etc.

This is so true. But it is just because we have been conditioned that ladies can wear masculine clothes, but if a man wears feminine clothes his sexuality is questioned. But look at men who wear kilts, do we say they are feminine? no, and why should we? But if a lady wears jeans and a t-shirt nobody gives a second look, a guy puts on a dress and we call him a tranny or crossdresser.

Just my view!

Walls

The reason the original list existed (the White Male List), was because the teacher in question discovered that the men in her class insisted that they personally received no benefit from the system they lived in. Yes, life was unfair to some folks, but these men felt they themselves were not actually getting benefit from it. So she sat down and wrote down the list. Others subsequently made further lists and so we came to this.

And Eolhc, I do understand what you're saying, but the idea is that if a person is aware of an injustice, they should then do something about it...

Wibbs

DJ_Spider wrote: »

This is so true. But it is just because we have been conditioned that ladies can wear masculine clothes, but if a man wears feminine clothes his sexuality is questioned. But look at men who wear kilts, do we say they are feminine? no, and why should we? But if a lady wears jeans and a t-shirt nobody gives a second look, a guy puts on a dress and we call him a tranny or crossdresser.

A lot of it is down to the underlying idea that men are better than women. For a woman to dress up as a man is seen as empowering, for a man to dress up as a woman makes him lesser. It makes him look inferior on a subconscious level. That's even scarier.

Havel

as a white hetrosexual male between the ages of 18 and 55 I'm just automatically the "bad guy". Its so unfair.

Walls

Wibbs, one of the big differences between say, my parents or grandparents generation, and our own, is that there would have been men's big fear of being feminine, or being viewed as feminine or even women in general. Why is that? Most people have different sides to their personality. Yet the suggestion seems to create near panic, as if masculinity is merely a choice and if you don't focus on it, you'll wake up one morning and it'll be gone!

WindSock

Wibbs wrote: »

A lot of it is down to the underlying idea that men are better than women. For a woman to dress up as a man is seen as empowering, for a man to dress up as a woman makes him lesser. It makes him look inferior on a subconscious level. That's even scarier.

Not to mention being called a girl is an insult.

Havel wrote: »

as a white hetrosexual male between the ages of 18 and 55 I'm just automatically the "bad guy". Its so unfair.

Do feel you get targetted regularly and personally because you are male, white or straight? Do any of those preceeding factors make everyday life slightly more difficult for you?

Jesus Wept

Walls wrote:

46. I have the privilege of being unaware of my male privilege.

46.

• I am aware of many of my male privileges.
• I dispute many that are listed.
• I am aware of some of the negatives/problems that being a man brings - of which none are listed.

However, my privilege is that I choose to dwell on none of the above - and I am a happier person for it.


47. I'm far less likely to drown myself in self pity and to feel the need to try and convince the world that my achievements are more worthy due to and directly because of - my afflicted gender status.

48. I'm far less likely to devise lists that whilst containing some elements of truth, are completely one sided, that ignore the flip side and that are solely for the purpose of convincing people how hard I have it.

Yep it is great to be a man. I'm off to take advantage of 41. and have a ****, as is my privilege.
Catch ya later.

Mikel

Where would a woman be without a sense of victimhood?
Most of those are either untrue or self inflicted.
Projecting your own insecurities onto 'society' which 'expects' a certain form of behaviour isn't the same as being underpriveliged.
One could go through those one by one and falsify them but life is too short.

Alternatively I could write a male list and point out murder rates, suicide rates, victims of violent crime etc etc etc

Or more fun would be to write an alternative female list:
1. In every romantic relationship I'm involved in I must get my own way because I have a vagina.
2. I don't feel the need to be accountable for my actions or retain any form of consistency, when my partner questions this I can point out that it makes me complex and difficult to understand.
3. I can alternate between wanting to be treated differently because I'm a woman to outrage at being treated because I'm a woman....
etc etc etc.....

A young woman in this country can do anything she wants, they outperform boys in the education system, they are the majority in 3rd level, there is no career path that I'm aware of closed off to them.
They can choose to have a family instead of a career, or the other way around, or juggle the two.
But of course looking at it that way means you don't get to feel aggrieved, so you decide some aspect of you is being 'called into question'!!
Only by you.
The problem is in your head.

Havel

WindSock wrote: »

Do feel you get targetted regularly and personally because you are male, white or straight? Do any of those preceeding factors make everyday life slightly more difficult for you?

Depends what you mean by more difficult, yes each one of these factors brings with it various difficulties, which I'd rather do without. But i'd suggest that it makes my life as difficult rather than more difficult.

Walls

And so the lack of awareness continues!

Macha

For the sake of balance, I give you the Female Privilege Checklist:

1. I am physically able to give birth to another human being, and then do my best to mold her or him into the kind of person I choose.

2. I am not automatically expected to be the family breadwinner.

3. I feel free to wear a wide variety of clothes, from jeans to skimpy shorts to dresses as appropriate, without fear of ridicule.

4. I can choose to remain seated to meet most people.

5. I am not ashamed to ask for others’ perspectives on an issue.

6. I feel free to exhibit a wide range of emotions, from tears to genuine belly laughter, without being told to shut up.

7. My stereotypical excesses in shopping, clothes, jewelry, personal care and consumption of chocolate usually are expected, even the source of jokes.

8. Public policies generally offer me an opportunity to bond with my offspring.

9. I am among the first to get off a sinking ship.

10. I can usually find someone with superior strength to help me overcome physically challenging obstacles, such as changing a tire or cutting a huge Christmas tree.

11. Changing my mind is seen as a birthright or prerogative.

12. I feel free to explore alternate career paths instead of being bound to a single career ladder.

13. I am used to asking for help, around the kitchen table or the proverbial water cooler or the conference room.

14. People I’ve never met are inclined to hold doors open and give up their seats for me.

15. I can be proud of the skill I have worked to develop at stretching limited financial resources.

16. I am not ashamed of using alternatives to positional power to reach my goals.

17. I know how to put a new roll of toilet paper in use and am not above doing it for the next person.

18. I am not ashamed to admit that the decisions I make reflect my personal values.

19. I am not afraid to create and maintain honest relationships with others.

20. I do not fear being accused of having an ethic of care in my professional life.

21. When I enter an office, I am likely to encounter those who can help me “in low places.”

22. I am more likely to get hugs than handshakes, depending on the situation.

23. I am less likely to be seen as a threat, which allows me more subtle alternatives.

24. I can use men’s “sheer fear of tears” to my advantage.

25. I can complain that these female privileges are relatively minor compared with the vast assortment of dominant male privileges, but I wouldn’t change places for the world.

I like no. 25 most of all

Although 46 points on the first list to 25 on this list..hmm..plus some on this list are totally stupid. Calling nos. 7 & 14.

Mikel

That's just as smug and misguided as the first list

5. I am not ashamed to ask for others’ perspectives on an issue.

If only men asked other people's opinions!
Eh they do, and when they do they're looking for a solution, not empathy, hence they usually ask other men.

15. I can be proud of the skill I have worked to develop at stretching limited financial resources.

wtf?

16. I am not ashamed of using alternatives to positional power to reach my goals.

wtf? x 2

17. I know how to put a new roll of toilet paper in use and am not above doing it for the next person.

don't forget asking for directions...a career in stand up comedy awaits.

19. I am not afraid to create and maintain honest relationships with others.

20. I do not fear being accused of having an ethic of care in my professional life.

stereotype much??

Why not just say the female privelige is
1. not being a man

I mean seriously, how many of those mention fear or being ashamed?
rather than saying something positive about being a woman....
Seems a bit pathetic to me

Wibbs

Walls wrote: »

Wibbs, one of the big differences between say, my parents or grandparents generation, and our own, is that there would have been men's big fear of being feminine, or being viewed as feminine or even women in general.

I dunno, yea I can see what you mean, but roles were more set then so while that was bad enough, now a hell of a lot of men have no clue how or what it is to be a man, and veer between the extremes of emo or macho.

Why is that?

As you say, fear of being a woman/gay. Indeed being accused of being gay for most is accusing them of being pseudo women as much as anything else I reckon.

Yet the suggestion seems to create near panic, as if masculinity is merely a choice and if you don't focus on it, you'll wake up one morning and it'll be gone!

Why, just last night I went to bed after eating most of a cow, followed by the expert ravishing of no less than three comely ladies after I gave a thrashing to their respective boyfriends for their insolence. Did I mention I was 8 pints under? I must have dropped the ball in my sleep and lost concentration, as this very morn I awake to find a physical need for Manolo Blahnik pumps and a strange insecurity about the size of my bottom. This is serious Goddammit!!

WindSock wrote:

Not to mention being called a girl is an insult.

True enough.

Agent Smith

DJ_Spider wrote: »

This is so true. But it is just because we have been conditioned that ladies can wear masculine clothes, but if a man wears feminine clothes his sexuality is questioned. But look at men who wear kilts, do we say they are feminine? no, and why should we? But if a lady wears jeans and a t-shirt nobody gives a second look, a guy puts on a dress and we call him a tranny or crossdresser.

Just my view!

first time i met you, you were dressed as the sugerplum Fairy

Boston

WindSock wrote: »

Do feel you get targetted regularly and personally because you are male, white or straight? Do any of those preceeding factors make everyday life slightly more difficult for you?

How do you know its more difficult if you've never lived life on the flip side?

Hello, I'm an Irish male aged between 15 and 25, I'm five times more likely to kill myself then my female counterpart despite apparently having an easier life.

There are problems which are exclusive to being female and there are problems exclusive to being male, get over it.

Macha

Mikel - yeah they are all a bit wtf??

Doctor DooM

The list forget to mention that ladies tend to be allowed to act in sexist ways, and not get called for it, like for example, writing a list about male priviledges which is horribly stereotyped.



Btw, men who act aggressively are indeed not called bitches, how astute. They are in fact referred to as "dicks".

Dragan

WindSock wrote: »

Do feel you get targetted regularly and personally because you are male, white or straight? Do any of those preceeding factors make everyday life slightly more difficult for you?

Everyday life? Yeah, sometimes.

Who ****ing cares though?

Amazotheamazing

Boston wrote: »

How do you know its more difficult if you've never lived life on the flip side?

Hello, I'm an Irish male aged between 15 and 25, I'm five times more likely to kill myself then my female counterpart despite apparently having an easier life.

There are problems which are exclusive to being female and there are problems exclusive to being male, get over it.

Well said.

Walls

That list is hilarious. And as for being the first to get off a sinking ship, you've never been on a ship!

One of the things Wibbs said has me intrigued. What does it mean to be a man? Apart from the need to scratch themselves in two places at once in public, like.

Amazotheamazing

Walls wrote: »

That list is hilarious. And as for being the first to get off a sinking ship, you've never been on a ship!

One of the things Wibbs said has me intrigued. What does it mean to be a man? Apart from the need to scratch themselves in two places at once in public, like.

What does it mean to be anyone?

Statistically I guess it means you'll die younger, but according to some woman's list, you'll have more fun and privilege while you're alive.

Boston

Walls wrote: »

One of the things Wibbs said has me intrigued. What does it mean to be a man? Apart from the need to scratch themselves in two places at once in public, like.

What a low opinion you have.

Fremen

A couple of things to add to taconnol's list

26. Female pain is never considered amusing.

27. I am far more likely to keep custody of my children following seperation or divorce.

Walls

Boston wrote: »

What a low opinion you have.

That was what the Significant Other said when I phrased the question out loud. My comment was intended as a joke.

A Primal Nut

Sigh...seen as I'm doing nothing today.

Most of the problems on that list in the first post are imaginery or don't exist anymore - that list must have been written 30 years ag

Walls wrote: »

1. My odds of being hired for a job, when competing against female applicants, are probably skewed in my favor. The more prestigious the job, the larger the odds are skewed.

3. If I am never promoted, it’s not because of my sex.

I have never seen any evidence that women in Ireland are discriminated against in any of the above ways. Its probably more to do with the fact that if we don't get a job we take responsibility for it and try harder to achieve next time, or at least do something about why we failed. Women fail to take responsibilty and immediately call "sexism".

6. If I do the same task as a woman, and if the measurement is at all subjective, chances are people will think I did a better job.

Eh? WTF? Any examples of this? One immediate example that contradictions this would be the Irish presidential position where the two women Robinson and McAleese are, rightly or wrongly, judged to have been very successful.

7. If I’m a teen or adult, and if I can stay out of prison, my odds of being raped are relatively low. (More).

8. On average, I am taught to fear walking alone after dark in average public spaces much less than my female counterparts are.

I agree with this, much greater sentences for rapists are required. There is no doubt men certainly are more capable of the worst crimes.

15. When I ask to see “the person in charge,” odds are I will face a person of my own sex. The higher-up in the organization the person is, the surer I can be.

Not necessarily a benefit.

18. As a child, chances are I got more teacher attention than girls who raised their hands just as often. (More).

Again, WTF!? That's just ridiculous.

19. If my day, week or year is going badly, I need not ask of each negative episode or situation whether or not it has sexist overtones.

That might again be because we take responsibility rather than blame all our problems on sexism.

26. My clothing is typically less expensive and better-constructed than women’s clothing for the same social status. While I have fewer options, my clothes will probably fit better than a woman’s without tailoring. (More).

Definitely not in Ireland, if a man chooses to buy designer or branded sports clothes they are more expensive than womens. The difference is we wear the clothes we buy all the time.

43. If I am heterosexual, it’s incredibly unlikely that I’ll ever be beaten up by a spouse or lover. (More).

And if we were, we'd leave, not stay with them for ever and ever because "I love him and nobody understands", regardless of how often he beats them. Women forgot they can choose their spouse/lover.

44. Complete strangers generally do not walk up to me on the street and tell me to “smile.” (More: 1 2).

Happened me once or twice. Feel like boxing them in the face.

Dragan

Walls wrote: »

8. On average, I am taught to fear walking alone after dark in average public spaces much less than my female counterparts are.

I had done a good job of ignoring how up it's own arse that list is but this one has hung with me all day.

Maybe on the female list you can add :

I will never be looked at like i am a potential rapist just because i am walking past a member of the opposite sex and it's night time.

List like this are subjective as **** and do nothing to help anyone. Everyone has reasons to feel put out because of who they are.