Future Words of Yesterday: Issue #8 (#wattys2016)

Code Feminist

Debunking Claims of "Female Privilege"

Does female privilege exist? The short answer: no.

According to Dictionary.com, privilege is "A special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group." When you put this in the context of gender – or even the lack of – it is evident that men are born with more advantages in society than any other group of people, which includes better pay, career expectations, and larger jurisdiction over their bodies.

So if male privilege exists, does that mean female privilege exists, too?

Well, when people refer to "female privilege," they're likely referring to the positive counterpart of a male non-privilege. It's definitely true that men experience social injustices; nobody's lives are perfect. But a lot of these non-privileges, such as expecting men to stifle emotions or providing for families, aren't indicative of female privilege because women are not inherently benefiting from what men are disadvantaged by.

The advantages women are thought to have at the expense of men reflected the patriarchy's demands for men as competitive, dominant, and authoritative. At the same time, its demands for women are to be submissive, nurturing, and inferior.

That simply isn't how privilege works. There are a few reasons as to why such research, while statistically true, doesn't equate to female privilege.

Here are a few of those myths, debunked.

Myth #1: Women Are More Likely to Receive Chivalry

In today's society, we equate chivalry with the expectations of a man to go out of his way to pamper a woman. And while this definition of chivalry seems like it's coming from a good place, the term itself does not.

Chivalry, as defined in The Free Dictionary, is "A system of rules originating in the medieval era that dictate qualities expected of a knight, such as honor, courage, and a readiness to help the weak."

What seemed to be a non-discriminatory act of courtesy has narrowed its focus to women throughout the years. But are free drinks and open doors benefitting women in society as actual privileges? They're not hurting anyone, but they're not exactly helping either.

The pampering part of chivalry can verge on being unsolicited, which actually means the social constructs women supposedly enjoy are really just positive encouragement for men. It views women as unequal – either as weaker or placed too high on a pedestal – and men who treat them as such might be expecting to be rewarded for their gentleman-like manners.

The irony rests in how chivalry is considered a female privilege, yet it is men who bestow the act.

Myth #2: Women Are Accepted as Emotional Beings

This instance is yet another example of how the patriarchy chastises men for showing signs of weakness – or, in other words, acting like a woman.

The phrases of "man up" and "take it like a man" may as well just be, "Don't be like a woman!"

Men are taught from a very early age that women are weaker and emotional, that so much as a teardrop will chip away at masculinity. It's an unfair burden for men to cage emotions, but it's also done at the expense of women.

Myth #3: Women Have a Higher Chance of Getting Accepted into College

The US Census Bureau reported that for the first time since 1940, women were more likely than men to have a bachelor's degree. Universities in 22 states are showing slightly higher enrollment rates for women, while all except five states in the US have either equal or higher enrollment rates for women.

Recently, women have begun to take over jobs traditionally held by men: doctors, lawyers, engineers, and other career paths that require a college degree. But at the same time, women are also dominating jobs that are traditionally considered "female," such as teachers, nurses, administrative assistants, etc.

Trying to avoid these "feminine" career paths, more and more men are opting out of college altogether.

Myth #4: Women Are More Likely to Win Child Custody Battles

One of the biggest myths against marriage equality is the same underlying notion behind the myth of women being more likely to win child custody battles.

Statistics show that women are far more likely to win custody of children in a divorce, yes. But they are also far more likely to ask for it.

In straight marriages, studies have shown that women are far more likely to have spent more time rearing a child – which is not to say that men never contribute. That's why equally qualified men who fight for custody are likely of receiving either primary or joint custody.

A study in Massachusetts found that fathers who sought custody got, at the very least, joint custody.

Myth #5: Men Are More Likely to Die of Suicide

The victims of suicide are primarily depression victims, and men have been shown to have different symptoms of depression than women. Common symptoms, such as crying or sadness, have been shown less often in men, because of cultural stigmas against men showing emotion.

Some studies cite the actual method as the reason why more men are dying from suicide. Women are most likely to use nonviolent methods of suicide, such as overdosing, while men are more likely to use quick methods, such as firearms – which happens to be more effective.

Although it's unclear why men use more deadly methods to end their lives, it is different to the traditional approaches of women who are suicidal. The culture of toxic masculinity and expectations to preserve characteristics of socially prescribed manliness could be partly to blame.

Even then, women are not gaining advantage from the higher suicide rates of men – no one is.

So just because male privilege exists doesn't mean its counterpart, "female privilege," is also present. Women in the United States and around the world continue to face discrimination in all magnitudes and have the system against them.

There are certainly women who are more privileged than other women, too. White women, for example, earn 77 cents on the comparative dollar, while Latina women only earn 54 cents.

But luckily, we have intersectional feminism, which is a movement that incorporates people of all races, bodies, and abilities into the collective conversation of feminism – including men!

And no one is saying that men aren't suffering from systemic injustices against them. They most certainly are. Like in the examples listed above, there are instances where men are clearly disadvantaged. But it is rarely at the explicit expense of women.

- Article written by

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