White Male Privilege Links

  • Not convinced about this white privilege idea? Below you'll find a variety of sites that explore the issue. Explore, think, rethink. But first ask yourself, why do white males continue to earn more money for comparable jobs with comparable experience with comparable education? White men on average outearn white women, other women, and all non-white men. Coincidence? Maybe it's a market phenomenon. For example, we know that the overwhelming proportion of elementary school teachers is female. Schools want male teachers! Shouldn't a man who teaches fifth grade earn more than his female counterpart? The market says yes. And indeed the income data show that he does. Now what about higher ed, where, in many departments, men outnumber women. The market argument would be that women, in shorter supply, should earn more. Oops-- market logic fails. Not only do women with comparable records earn less; they are less likely to be tenured and promoted. Hmmmmmmmmmm.... you mean market economics is not the single, infallible explanation of everything? Yup. Now, maybe it's worth thinking about white male privilege again.
  • Now, consider the additional social evidence: "driving while black," discrimination against blacks seeking mortgage loans, US housing patterns, etc. etc. So you're a white male. Then do your race/sex proud and work hard, do your best, and succeed. Just remember that for millions of other non-white/ non-male people, working hard only gets them second place-- if any place at all.

    Online Sources

    1. "MALE PRIVILEGE," a poem by D. A. Clarke, 1981
    2. WHITE PRIVILEGE SHAPES THE U.S., essay by Robert Jensen Department of Journalism University of Texas
    3. Whiteness Studies: Deconstructing (the) Race
    4. White Privilege.com
    5. About White Privilege-- additional links from this about.com page
    6. If you find more sites and especially hard data that illuminate the issue of white, male privilege, please let me know. This page is a work in progress.

    Print Sources

    1. "White Privilege and Male Privilege" by Peggy McIntosh, pp. 76-87 in Race, Class, and Gender by Margaret Anderson and Patricia Hill Collins, eds. Wadsworth, 4th ed., 2001. Also available on e-reserve [Unity ID login required to view]
    2. In the same book cited above, see "Understanding and Fighting Sexism: A Call to Men." by Blood, Tuttle and Lakey
    3. The Sociologically Examined Life by Michael Schwalbe, Mayfield Publishing Company, esp. chapter 11 on inequality
    4. Privilege, Power, and Difference by Allan G. Johnson. Mayfield, 2001.
    5. Women and Men at Work by Barbara Reskin and Irene Padavic. 1994. Pine Forge. Updated edition will be out any day.
    6. "Bringing the Men Back In: Sex Differentiation and the Devaluation of Women's Work." by Barbara Reskin. Pp. 141-161 in The Social Construction of Gender, Eds Judith Lorber and Susan Farrell. 1991. Sage.
    7. Chapter 6 in Sociology of Marriage and the Family by Scott Coltrane and Randall Collins. 2001. Wadsworth.
    8. “A Man's World: How Real Is Male Privilege-and How High Is Its Price?” in Contemporary Sociology, 1997, 26, 2, Mar, 156-158, by Potter, Claire (Review of book by Cose, Ellis)
    9. “Framing Whiteness: Working through the Tensions in Introducing Whiteness to Educators” in Race, Ethnicity and Education, 2000, 3, 3, Oct, 271-292 by Levine-Rasky, Cynthia, Division Social Science, York U, Toronto, Ontario
    10. “Teaching about Race and Ethnicity: Trying to Uncover White Privilege for a White Audience” in Teaching Sociology, 1999, 27, 2, Apr, 150-158 by Pence, Dan J; Fields, J Arthur, Social Sciences Dept Southern Utah U, Cedar City 84720
    11. “Reflections on Critical White(ness) Studies,” Chapter in WHITENESS: THE COMMUNICATION OF SOCIAL IDENTITY, Nakayama, Thomas K., & Martin, Judith N. [Eds], Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 1999, pp 1-9 by Johnson, Parker C., Center Higher Education Policy Analysis, U Southern California, Los Angeles
    12. “Beyond Race Awareness: White Racial Identity and Multicultural Teaching” in Journal of Teacher Education, 1997, 48, 2, Mar-Apr, 108-117, by Lawrence, Sandra M., Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley MA 01075
    13. “Oppression and Privilege: Toward a Relational Conceptualization of Race” in Teaching Sociology, 1996, 24, 3, July, 245-255 by Lucal, Betsy, Dept Sociology Kent State U, OH 44242
    14. “Superior Intellect?: Sincere Fictions of the White Self” in Journal of Negro Education, 1995, 64, 3, summer, 295-306, by Vera, Hernan; Feagin, Joe R; Gordon, Andrew, Dept Sociology U Florida, Gainesville 32611


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