Feminist stuff

[juliet]

I mentioned this to a few people at the weekend, so here are the links:

Article by Peggy McIntosh discussing invisible white privilege (i.e. invisible to white people - the advantages you gain but don't notice)
An imitation of that article discussing invisible male privilege.

And something else I came across recently: an article on women in computer science which covers quite a lot of other issues of societal stereotyping/sexism. Note that it dates from 1991, so the examples are obviously a little old, and I think things *have* moved on - but the underlying argument is still interesting, and I certainly don't think that everything mentioned has been overcome, sadly.

Comments

[mzdt.livejournal.com]

'invisible' privilege is something I'm becoming more aware of through the years - experiences where others take the invisible privilege (i.e. as a cyclist), as well as seeing what others have to cope with I've looked at my own position. yes, male, white, ostensibly straight - making it very easy to go directly through higher education, and into a semi-'professional' job at the BBC. I've had it easy/lucky, and I know it. Which is a start.

the next bit is to recognise where others don't have it easy, which of course has to be a conscious process. It's very easy not to see what you haven't had to struggle for. I know some people who just assume everything is as easy for everyone else as it is for them... and refuse to be shown any other way.

[booklectica]

Very interesting. And, obviously, extremely true. It's very useful to bring this kind of thing into the light, I think. - just the act of acknoweldging it can change things.

women in computing

[ewx.livejournal.com]

I was wondering about roughly the same question in someone else's journal recently. The EOF are interested too (http://www.eoc.org.uk/cseng/news/11_august_segregation_online_survey.asp).

EOF

[ewx.livejournal.com]

Err, EOC, rather. <stdio.h> on the brain, or something.

[some-fox.livejournal.com]

Thanks hon, v. useful xxx

[booklectica]

The obvious third one would be invisible heterosexual privilege, of course. I could do a checklist for that with my eyes shut.

[kitty-goth.livejournal.com]

Leaving aside the irrelevant religious ones, there are of course two points there which simply aren't true.

*sigh*. I do think things like this are useful, but I have to ...

Oh, arseweasels. It's late, and I'm tired (and now also crabby) so I think I'll just leave this one here. Moo moo, fill in the rest. You've heard it all before, anyway.