NS February 9th, 2008

It’s not often that one finds a man who not only acknowledges male privilege but lists all the ways in which he, and other men, have benefited from these advantages. Even though most males know, even if on some subconscious level, that these advantages exist, many would be quick to dismiss their validity and protest their very real effects. So it was a breath of fresh air (and reality) to read this checklist from the man behind Alas, a blog. Below are a few of my favourites from his list.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

44. Complete strangers generally do not walk up to me on the street and tell me to “smile.”

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

Now, this list does not mean that all men set out to exert these privilege over women, either as individuals or as a whole, merely that they benefit from their sex in innumerable ways, both big and small, that they may never have even thought about. I encourage any men who read this to give pause at each number and think of their mothers, wives, girlfriends, sisters, daughters, nieces, aunts, grandmothers, friends, neighbours and coworkers and how this list has undoubtedly affected each and every one of them, in nearly every way. I also encourage female readers to share the checklist with their partners, friends, fathers, et al and ask them to think about the ways in which they benefit from being men and how they might challenge the privileges they acquire that the females in their lives don’t.

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