Systems of Privilege and Inequality in Women’s Lives.

The reading about Systems of Privilege and Inequality in Women’s Lives denounces the problematic that Institutions of privilege bring to those that do not share that privilege. Society members are quick to make assumptions about those that are disadvantage, we blame them for their “misfortune”, we categorize them as lazy, dirty, dumb, ugly etc. The reality is social Institutions are created to bring inequality and we all enforce it. We are many times hesitant to look at those that are underprivileged because that means that we would have to give some of our power and privilege in society. The reading incites the reader to critically look at their privileges and the privilege of others.

I found interesting how often I am blind about the types of inequalities that many individuals face in society. Just the other day while at work, a customer was telling me about her struggles in the job market. She was laid off at her nursing job because of budget cuts. She had been at her place of work for over 10 years. Now that she was looking for another job she was being turned down because of her age. I cannot imagine why employers would rather prefer an inexperienced nurse to a seasoned nurse. Many employers see older adults as burden, since retirement might be close, or they may hold notions that since they are older they are not a fast or adequate for the job. Also an experienced employer would have to be paid more for their work, since they have more experience in the job. I never saw the problematic of ageism, until now. The privileges we own are many times taken for granted even unnoticed because we think that things are just the way they are, without questioning why. It is because of this way of thought that many people suffer inequalities in society.