Male Privilege #36 - Privilege of Having Potential

In Short:
Men's work is valued. Men are given many more chances than women to be successful, and are praised more when they succeed.


Derived From:
#8 - Privilege to Make the Rules
#11 - Privilege to Define Everything
#15 - Privilege of Unquestioned Majority
#16 - Privilege of Women's Invisibility
#20 - Privilege to Speak
#25 - Privilege of Space
#27 - Only Male Attributes are Valued
#28 - Privilege to Network
#30 - Privilege of Failure
#31 - Praise for Mediocrity
#34 - Privilege of Control
#39 - Privilege of Women's Labor
#42 - Privilege of Career
#64 - Privilege of Mobility


Exclusive to Men Because:
Men are held in much higher regard by their peers, and their work is valued more by society. Thus, they are given many more opportunities to apply their skills and reap the benefits. Women, on the other hand, routinely have their work overlooked, co-opted, or ridiculed, and thus do not have the same chances as men for success.

Jobs in traditionally female fields are typically underpaid and much maligned. Women who work outside of these traditionally female fields are reviled and demonized, while men who work in traditionally female fields are more likely to hold the high-profile, higher paying leadership positions in those fields.


Harms:
Prosperity results in power and security. In denying women prosperity, women become more vulnerable to the violence that society has already directed against them.

Denying women opportunities withholds from them the ability to share fully in the fruits of existence. When you deny women access to part of our shared humanity, you deny women's full humanity.

In denying women the ability to participate fully in society, society is also deprived of the ideas and productivity of billions of human minds.


If You are a Good Guy:
You will recognize, hire, promote, and work with women as often as you do men. If you cannot find enough women who can hold their own in your field, then either your company is intentionally avoiding capable women, or you are in the Army.

You will support all legislation, such as the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the ERA, that attempt to give women the same access to a full and successful life that you have. Since women are still unfairly burdened with the vast majority of child rearing responsibilities, you will support all legislation (such as flex time, paid parental leave, and actually good daycare) that works to alleviate the conflicts between parenting and career. While you are at it, you can also take advantage of said legislation to do your half of the child rearing.

Part 1 - One Hideous Election Sign Gone, One To Go

Copyright January 2009 by F*ck M*sculinity