Arguments Against Oppression

History has proven that the existence of women’s oppression was prevalent, extending beyond culture, race, and geographical location. Currently, oppression continues to exist, often silently and widespread throughout the world, indicating the continued importance of discussion revolving around this topic. Oppression is difficult to define as it must encompass the collective situation faced by all women while taking into consideration other elements that affect the definition. Frye explains the definition of oppression to include benefits that the privileged class receive at the expense of the oppressed. However, I will argue that that definition is not sound as oppression cannot occur without privilege, the flip side of the same coin. In Marilyn

Frye’s Oppression, the definition of oppression should be expanded to explicitly recognize the negative implications of privilege in maintaining oppression in order to push for the full abolishment of oppression.
First, I will define oppression according to Marilyn Frye. Oppression is “the double bind – situations in which options are reduced to a very few and all of them expose one to penalty, censure or deprivation” (Frye, 85) For instance, women are generally unpaid housewives without the economic or personal freedom to do as they please although they provide household labor. Furthermore, “women of all races and classes are together in a ghetto of sorts” that is not “defined by geographical boundaries but by function” and the existence of which confers a benefit upon the advantaged class (Frye, 85). However, these women often are able to better relate to the men within their locale than with other women due to the large socioeconomic and geographical differences. Such restrictions on women occur due to prevalent society-wide and institutional oppression. Thus, while this definition of oppression is reasonable, it is not fully comprehensive as the advantages received by the privileged class, maintained by oppressing the other class, are assumed to be more beneficial than equality between the classes. The definition does not include a clear definition of privilege or a discussion of the implications of the potential benefit of gender equality to both parties.
Why is privilege important? Historically, feminist groups are composed of middle-class white women that advocate against oppression. This is futile as without the support of the powerful, the powerless are not able to institute equality. The intense focus on oppression should be shifted so that the opposite side, privilege, will become a major discussion topic as well. This will primarily allow for the oppressors to better recognize their privilege, understand oppression, and provide support in the abolishment of oppression. First, privilege must be defined in order to fully understand the implications that are connected to oppression. Privilege is defined as “unearned assets conferred systematically” in which “all privilege is advantageous, but that not all advantages count as privilege”(Bailey, 1997, pg. 107-180). The privileged class, superior to the disadvantaged group, will “establish the societal norms and standards by which other groups are judged” as they have “greater institutional power and control, and get to set the laws, policies, and practices that impact others” (Goodman, 2015, p. 6). . According to Bailey (1997), the issue then becomes that privilege is not an earned advantage which advances a person only in a limited scope but rather it creates far-reaching, enduring consequences. For example, having a high-paying job will allow a person travel but it does not imply that such a person will not be discriminated against or treated poorly by customs or by foreigners. However, if you are the stereotypical heterosexual middle-class white male, the advantages that are received as a result of privilege are far more wide-reaching. Most or all airports have English signs, and generally foreigners are nicer to Caucasians and so is customs. They are less likely to be discriminated against and carry passports with the most power in the world. Currently, the institutional system or social structure is already structured such that advantages are conferred upon the privileged in the form of tangible advantages such as owning a nice house or greater access to healthcare as well as intangible advantages like greater status or respect from others regardless of whether the privileged recognizes it or believes that they are deserving of such privilege Finally, privilege must be linked to oppression. Privilege and oppression are considered opposite sides of the same coin as privilege cannot exist without oppression and vice versa. Thus, in order to abolish oppression, privilege must be abolished as well. As Frye mentions in the prison example, “The physical walls of a prison no more dissolve to let an outsider in than to let an insider out, but for the insider they are confining and limiting while to the outsider they may mean protection from what s/he takes to be threats posed by insiders – freedom from harm or anxiety” (Frye, 89). For there to exist the space inside of the wall, there must exist the space outside of the wall. It is for this reason the privileged must recognize and change their own privilege at the personal, social, and institutional levels.
Individually, privilege exists from the second the person is born which results in a society in which most of the privileged do not challenge or question their benefits. According to Goodman (2015), they lack awareness of the experiences faced by the oppressed and the recognition of their own privilege in relation to oppression. Some also exhibit unwillingness in contemplating their privilege or the oppression faced by others as they feel a sense of self-entitlement and superiority. Thus, the characteristics of those who are privileged shows that those who would be accepting of the notion of privilege are not educated about this topic while the others feel superior and attempt to avoid the subject. An essential aspect of feminism is to plead with those in power who run the social structure, the advantaged, to change the structure. Without their power and support, the disadvantaged are able to fight for only marginal change. As the oppressed will obviously benefit from such a change, the question then becomes why the privileged concern should themselves with the existence of this notion especially when they are the ones who benefit with the current structure. In reality, the benefits of equality outweigh the costs to the privileged. First, it is moral to help those who are in need. Thus, as the group with the greater power for change, it is their moral responsibility to exercise this power for the greater good. This will result in tangible benefits as the oppressed group will then be able to reach their full potential as mothers, wives, and workers contributing to society, providing new viewpoints and solutions. With the contribution of the disadvantaged class, the overall quality of life will be improved for every citizen. For example, according to Holter (2014), studies have shown that in the United States the states with the highest gender equality rating will also have more than double the individual well-being ratings than states with the lowest gender equality for both genders. This phenomenon is also know to occur between European countries. This is a statistically significant correlation which shows that regardless of geographical location, men benefit from equality. Gender equality also results in fewer crimes as Holter (2014) shows that crime rates in countries with a high level of gender equality is almost half of countries with the lowest levels of gender equality. Furthermore, greater gender equality is also associated with increased sexual satisfaction and moderately correlated with a lower divorce rate. The most surprising finding is that one of the important underlying explanation for the cause of gender equality is men’s increased participation in unpaid household labor. The privileged, men in this case, must recognize that their superior status in society does not necessarily contribute to their well-being as much as contributing to activities in the traditionally feminine domain. With the extra household aid, women become happier, more loving wives. They are also able to pursue the traditionally male dominated activities. Increasing gender equality in the social, political, and economic domain would improve many aspects of society. For instance, the inclusion of women in politics is important as they are composed of half of the population and will be able to provide constructive criticism of the current political system based upon a different perspective.
Now, I will address the opposition.

The most prevalent argument against privilege is that it is false and does not exist. According to Bailey (2014), white male privilege does not exist as men make up the majority of workplace accidents/fatalities, the majority of the homeless, the minority of college graduates, and are more likely to end up in jail than women for the same crime. Furthermore, Bailey (2014) states that men who choose a career that is high-paying and involves working long hours will be criticized for being selfish while women who do the same are viewed as empowered. First, women are also criticized for being a horrible mother or wife if they place their career over their family so this argument goes both ways. Second, the common misconception with privilege is that one is not privileged due to disadvantages that occur in other aspects of their life. Privilege and oppression, according to Goodman (2015), “are cumulative, they are not simply unrelated one-time occurrences”. Thus, overall, white privileged men cumulatively receive greater advantages that outweigh the disadvantages while it is the opposite for women. Disadvantages occur for every individual as often, privileges are related and in order to retain this privilege there are often less important disadvantages that occur. For instance, while the majority of workplace accidents/fatalities occur to men, this is due to the fact that men choose more dangerous occupations. This is a choice given to mostly

men and the majority of the time they have the choice to choose a less dangerous career such as nursing, childcare, or teaching. However, due to male privilege, they chose a career which involves high-risk, often for the better pay or better working hours while women are rarely hired for the same job with the same qualifications. Thus, this shows that in reality, it is women that are still oppressed. Finally, it is argued that male privilege does not exist- rather, it is the opposite. Critics state that female privilege exists as women often receive special privileges due to their historically oppressed status in society and their right to dominate over men. For example, women are able to abuse men with fewer repercussions. However, this argument is unfounded as women receive and require special protection for as long as their continued lower status in society continues to exist. This is to prevent the powerful from unreasonably exerting their power.
The second argument advocates for the existence of privilege and oppression as the oppression of women has occurred for so long that it would be very difficult, if nearly impossible, to change society and individual viewpoints. Some of the major concerns is that the costs of changing society may outweigh the benefits of equality or that due to physical characteristics women will and should always be treated less equally. While I would agree that it is difficult to change society to essentially a non-gendered one, it is possible and in the benefit of every individual in society. As previously shown, the well-being of all individuals in society will benefit from equality. The change will not occur suddenly, it will occur over time and it will be costly. However, in the long-run, the benefits will outweigh the costs as future generations will be able to enjoy the equality. In fact, even small increases in equality will be to the benefit of society in general. In addition, physical characteristics are not determinate of the abilities of women. Historically, women were considered physically inferior as the majority of activities required for daily life are physically strenuous such as hunting. Nowadays, most tasks are automated and physical labor is no long as strenuous. Most women, with proper training, are just as qualified as men to perform such tasks so physical differences make marginal, if any, discrepancy in physical strength.
In conclusion, the inclusion of the privileged class in the fight against oppression is vital to the effective change to society-wide equality for the benefit of all present-day individuals as well as for the future generations.

It is difficult for the privileged to improve equality if there are no concrete and explicit guidelines. There are numerous ways to achieve this and I will provide recommendations to aid in the fight for equality. In order to change privilege at the individual level, it is essential that children are raised in a household in which chores are equally shared and they are taught the importance of equality between the genders. At the social level, people should be mindful of gendered interactions with others such as opening the door for only women. Finally, at the institutional level, there should be equal or almost equal numbers of men and women holding roles of power in politics and in business. Especially for countries with a high level of inequality, laws should also be changed to support equality such as the ability for women to work in any job that they wish and equal wages regardless of gender. Furthermore, gender equality should be a part of the educational curriculum in elementary school. As the privileged class, collectively we must change the current social structure, or continue to live in a society where oppression is common and

accepted.