Cultural Autobiography Essay: My Personal Cultural Identity

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Cultural Autobiography One’s cultural identity consists of their race, gender, socioeconomic status, age, religion, and so on. Being aware of your own cultural identity is just as important as being aware of other’s. People’s cultural identity defines who they are, the privilege (or lack of privilege) they receive, and how society views them. It is important to understand that White individuals have more privileges than individuals of color. White individuals do not experience detriment and difficulties due specifically to their skin color and instead receive advantages. White privilege is defined as benefits that white individuals have that people of color do not (Kendall, 2012). The following walks through my personal cultural background, how it was shaped, defined, and developed, and limitations to my personal competencies. Cultural Background My cultural identity consists of being a 22-year-old white female who identifies as White, heterosexual, Christian-Lutheran, able-bodied and a member of the lower-middle class. Through these identities, there are certain roles that I distinguish with like being a student, daughter, sister, and friend. Socioeconomic …show more content…

White men controlled the government and created how America is today. White women were also seen as superior to other races, but not superior to White men. Women were seen as only being capable of taking care of children and doing housework. Unfortunately, this is still represented in my family today. A main event that sticks out to me that represents gender stereotypes and roles is holiday gatherings. At holiday events the women are in the kitchen preparing the food while the men are in the living room talking and/or watching a sporting event. After dinner, the men go back to the living room, while the women are expected to put away leftovers, clean the dishes, and so

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