S W 325 Chapter 7: Chapter Seven - How Systems of Privilege Work
Document Summary
Systems organized around privilege have three characteristics that are key: The characteristics support the idea that members of privileged groups are higher than those who are not. Positions of power tend to be occupied by members of privileged groups. Our way of thinking as a society supports a structure that allocates power to men. Male dominance doesn"t mean that every man is powerful. When woman find way to be powerful in relation to men, it is usually in spite of man. Even woman gathering for lunch is cause for suspicion to some. Male dominance describes a patriarchal system in which both women and men take part in. We all are part of a dominant culture. We learn how to navigate society from our parents, from mass media and in school. On most college campuses, most people of color feel they need to look and act white in order to fit in.
