Filed under: Feminism, feminists, gender roles, male privilege, men, misogyny, patriarchy, politics, sex, society, Uncategorized, women
I tend to save the more lighthearted posts for Fridays, but given the recent developments of the blog, and because I’ve not had any Red Bull and have spent the last few nights thinking about the whole love thing instead of sleeping, I am feeling a little slow. So here’s just a post that lists male privileges. I am sure you can come up with more than I can, as I am privileged, and often don’t see these. These privileges can be both physical and social perceptions.
1) Career wise, I can do almost anything I want, without having to fear that I can’t make it because of my gender.
2) When I do have children, I can still continue with my career, and won’t seem like a “bad dad.”
3) No one would ever use my gender as a way of insulting someone, as in “You throw like a girl” or “don’t be such a pussy.”
4) I can almost always walk down the street at night without fear of being attacked.
5) I can go to a bar and drink to my heart’s content, without having to fear I might get sexually assaulted.
6) I almost never have to worry about being sexually harrassed by my boss.
7) My ability to do a certain job will never come into question because of my gender
8) My gender will never be an issue when I run for political office
9) I can marry someone based on looks like it will actually empower me more.
10) There are no laws made pertaining to MY body.
11) I can go out in public wearing almost anything without being harrassed or judged.
12) If I so happen to meet someone at a party, and decide to have sex, I would be viewed as being “the man,” whereas it doesn’t apply for women. They’re seen as sluts.
13) My sexual/dating history is not the discussion of the town
14) I can pee standing up!
15) I don’t have to worry as much about pregnancy when it comes to sex
16) I am less likely to get an STD than a woman would, because of how our sex organs are built
17) I can date more than one woman at the same time, and society would not look down upon me for it.
18) As a child, no matter what I wanted to do, I had some sort of a role-model with whom I could identify
19) I am judged more for my actions, rather than what I wear and how I look.
20) No childbirth!
21) I am guarantee to orgasm each and every time I have sex
22) No pharmacist can claim the right to deny me any medicines I ask for at a drug store
23) Even when I am acting within my gender role, I am GAINING from it, rather than being oppressed.
24) If I go to church, I can attend knowing that I’ll hear someone of my gender speaking about a god of my gender.
25) I don’t have to live up to expectations of how thin I am supposed to be.
26) No monthly menstrual cycles!
Anything else you’d want to add? I am running out of things. But I am sure you can think of more.
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America's Next Bill Clinton! 
This is a great post! If only everybody could recognize his or her own privilege. Would you mind if I linked to this post on my blog? I think I would like to talk about different kinds of privilege and make a list of my about about white privilege.
Comment by Sunny August 29, 2007 @ 4:15 pmThere’s another very good male privilege checklist here. Good start!
Comment by SarahMC August 29, 2007 @ 6:06 pmThere are a lot of these that I can refute easily, but I don’t have the motivation. However, just because you stick it in a women, doesn’t mean you’ll have an orgasm. Believe me, I’ve had sex with plenty of men who just…wouldn’t…come.
Comment by popularheresy August 29, 2007 @ 8:30 pmMaybe that’s the one thing I’ll never understand is how some could never achieve orgasm with sexual contact. Everytime I see these articles written for women on how to please their partners, I am sitting there thinking: “you don’t have to buy those magazines – I’ve got the best advice in the world on how to make me orgasm – PLAY WITH MY PENIS!”
I also need to be clear: I was merely just talking about actual intercourse, but any form of sex at all.
Maybe I am easily pleased. 🙂
Comment by Marc August 29, 2007 @ 8:41 pmInteresting list. I’d add a few, but like you I’m too tired. LOL Now #21 as long as the sex is with myself I can guarentee an orgasm each and every time.
Comment by Activist Mommy August 30, 2007 @ 1:48 amI know what you meant, Marc, even if it was worded sort of strangely. It’s not that sexual intercourse will definitely lead to the man’s orgasm. It usually will, but that’s besides the point. It’s that the sex act is assumed to be finished when the man orgasms. Did you ever hear a girl wonder whether or not she’s lost her virginity: “…but he didn’t come, so…” It’s assumed, from a pretty young age, that the purpose of sex is male orgasm. It’s the sex-as-commodity viewpoint, which sees sex as a thing given to men by women.
Comment by SarahMC August 30, 2007 @ 2:42 amGood job. Although I kinda don’t like that peeing standing up is considered a privilege. I appreciate that you included the male god one though.
Now tell us what you’re doing about those privileges ; ).
Comment by judgesnineteen August 31, 2007 @ 10:52 pmYeah, I have to agree that biological facts aren’t privileges. Preferential treatment based on bio facts would be privileges.
Comment by SarahMC September 1, 2007 @ 7:07 pmComment on 3: I’ve actually been called male as an insult, meaning “insensitive.” Family. What can you do?
Comment by RJ September 18, 2007 @ 2:01 pmMen have cheaper clothing, haircut, and dry-cleaning costs than women do.
Cancer screening tests are covered on the health insurance policies of men.
Men can get Viagra which requires a doctor’s prescription covered on their health insurance policies. Women have to get laws passed so that their birth control which require prescriptions or visits to the doctor will be covered on their health insurance policies.
Men don’t don’t get discriminated against for feeding babies in public places. Women get discriminated against for breastfeeding babies in public places.
Men don’t get charged too much money on car repairs anywhere near as often as women do.
Men can legally take their shirts off in public places without getting stared at, laughed at, sneered at, called names, or looked down upon. If women did this, then women would get all of the above plus the women would get sent to jail.
Men have much shorter and faster lines to the bathroom than women do in public places.
Comment by Elaine September 20, 2007 @ 4:50 pmMen have much shorter and faster lines to the bathroom than women do in public places.
Does anyone know if the sum of the stalls and the urinals in a men’s bathroom is generally greater than the number of stalls in a women’s bathroom?
Comment by RJ September 21, 2007 @ 1:02 pmI just did a counterpoint to the “Male Privilege List” – the Female Privilege List. A sample:
Privileges I have as a woman, that “others” – mostly men – don’t have.
1. I’m allowed to avoid stress and competition, so I can enjoy an additional 5 years of life
2. I can choose professions that are less lucrative, and not be called a loser.
3. If I don’t rise to the top of my profession, it’s OK – people won’t judge me the less for it.
4. I’m entitled to the benefits of a safe, orderly society, but no one expects me to risk my personal safety to maintain it.
. . .
It is at http://sweatingthroughfog.blogspot.com/2007/10/mens-privilages-vs-womans-privilage.htm
Comment by Sweating Through Fog October 3, 2007 @ 1:14 pmSorry, right url is:
http://sweatingthroughfog.blogspot.com/2007/10/mens-privilages-vs-womans-privilage.html
Comment by Sweating Through Fog October 3, 2007 @ 1:22 pm