Understanding Privilege – A Reflection on Social Mobility and Connection

Understanding Privilege – A Reflection on Social Mobility and Connection

In sociology, privilege is defined as an unearned advantage or special right granted to certain individuals or groups based on their social identity, such as race, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, nationality, or ability. Privilege operates on both individual and institutional levels, influencing various aspects of life, including access to resources, opportunities, and social status. Individuals with privilege may benefit from advantages such as better access to education, healthcare, employment opportunities, legal protection, and representation in media and politics. Conversely, the ability of people or organizations to shift within or between social classes or strata within a society is referred to as social mobility. It includes changes in social and economic standing, both positive and negative, and is typically gauged by a number of variables, such as wealth, income, education, and occupation.

The Role Privilege Plays in Social Hierarchies and Opportunities for Social Mobility

There are two types of social mobility, namely, intergenerational mobility, which describes how people or groups move from one social position to another in a manner similar to that of their parents or earlier generations. For instance, an individual born into a lower-income family who happens to achieve higher education and obtain a well-paying career would experience upward intergenerational mobility. Secondly, intragenerational mobility refers to the changes in a person’s social standing over the progression of their own life (Houle, 2011). For instance, someone who begins their career in a low-wage job and then later progresses to a better-paying position due to education, training, or career progression experiences intragenerational upward mobility. Notably, one key factor that affects a person’s social mobility is their socialization patterns. Understanding the link between privilege and social mobilization is crucial because the latter is often invisible or taken for granted by those who possess it, as it is deeply embedded within social norms and institutions. Moreover, privilege is often interrelated with systems of oppression, where certain groups are marginalized or disadvantaged based on their social identities.

As a registered nurse from a working family, I have witnessed how privilege favors those in the upper classes. For instance, I had to use student loans to put myself through college as well as work so that I could make some extra money, all the while studying for my degree. All this affected my social life negatively, which is not something that some of my colleagues from upper social classes have to do. Instead, they graduated with zero debt and good grades and also managed to have their share of fun through an active social life in college. In addition, graduating with no debt meant that they had no pressure to find a job as soon as they graduated. Secondly, their salaries would be directed to investments or buying things like their homes while I would be paying off my debt for a while.

Examining the sociological imagination involves exploring how various contexts impact the process of socialization. Factors such as upbringing location, family structure, available resources, racial and ethnic identity, gender, and nationality collectively shape individuals’ socialization experiences. Annette Lareau, a sociologist, carried out a study explaining this phenomenon. According to the methodology, the team observed families from different socio-economic backgrounds, including middle-class, working-class, and impoverished households. Through extensive observations within these families’ homes and daily routines, they identified significant class-based disparities in child socialization (Andersen, Taylor & Logio, 2001).

As per the results of this study, middle-class children typically followed well-organized schedules, participating in various planned activities such as sports, music classes, and school groups. On the other hand, children from both working-class and poor families, irrespective of race, had less organized lives, with financial limitations being a recurring theme. Despite facing financial constraints, these children enjoyed a slower and more relaxed pace of life, with ample time for unstructured play. Notably, Lareau coined the term “concerted cultivation” to define the deliberate and sustained efforts of middle-class families in encouraging their children’s development and nurturing their cognitive and social skills (Andersen, Taylor & Logio, 2001). Conversely, working-class and poor children experienced “natural growth,” allowing them to develop in a less structured environment with greater opportunities for creative play.

Consequently, children from the middle class usually develop a more individualized self-concept and a sense of entitlement, albeit at the cost of an exceedingly planned daily life. In contrast, working-class and poor children face obvious financial constraints and struggle to navigate various social institutions effectively (Andersen, Taylor & Logio, 2001). These patterns of childhood socialization not only reflect existing class dynamics but also contribute to reshaping the future class system. Middle-class children are unintentionally prepared for lives of privilege, whereas working-class children learn to adjust to external directives. Thus, social class serves as a significant, albeit often unnoticed, force in shaping the socialization experiences of young individuals, ultimately influencing their positions within the future class system (Andersen, Taylor & Logio, 2001). Simply put, individuals born in higher social classes have a privilege, which grants them more chances of upward social mobility compared to those in lower social classes.

Sociological Perspective on Privilege, Stratification, and Social Mobility

A sociological perspective on privilege, stratification, and social mobility can significantly enhance collaboration by fostering empathy, understanding, and inclusivity within diverse teams or communities in several ways. One is having an increased awareness of power dynamics whereby by acknowledging the varying levels of privilege held by team members based on their social identities, individuals can work towards creating a more equitable distribution of power and resources within the group.  A perfect example of this is demonstrated by Autin & Allan, (2020), who found that while almost everyone across all varying social classes desired to do meaningful work, socioeconomic privilege plays a major part in people’s experience of meaningful work through satisfaction of basic needs. As such, people in higher social classes are more likely to endorse meaningful work compared to those in lower social classes. Recognizing the impact of privilege on people’s lives is crucial in collaborations because it fosters an inclusive environment whereby the experiences of marginalized or underprivileged groups when making decisions or setting goals are considered.

How Having a Better Understanding of Personal Privileges Could Support Problem Solving at Work

One way that having a better understanding of personal privileges can support problem-solving, especially at work, is by giving one the awareness that they do have certain privileges that not everyone shares. Having this awareness then prevents them from communicating, taking action, or maybe making decisions from an uninformed or rather inconsiderate perspective. For example, suppose there is a group of medical students, and the leader of the team, who also happens to be the son of a wealthy man, decides to enlist the group to do voluntary work in a medical camp. While his decision was based on noble intent, he did not consider whether the other students could afford to go away to a medical camp and do free labor. Later on, he finds out that some of the students had already found paying work to support themselves, but they had to give it up because the medical camp did not have enough time to find other volunteers. Such situations can cause friction in any group.

The Outcome After Completing the Examining Your Privilege Media

After taking the exam to examine my privileges, I got a score of 16 out of 26. I was surprised to find that I had more privileges than I thought, especially when I went through the questions. Issues like disability and language barriers were in the questions, and they did give me a reality check that I am indeed more privileged than I thought.

References

Andersen, M. L., Taylor, H. F., & Logio, K. A. (2001). Sociology: the essentials (p. 552). Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.

Autin, K. L., & Allan, B. A. (2020). Socioeconomic privilege and meaningful work: A psychology of working perspective. Journal of Career Assessment, 28(2), 241-256.

Houle, J. N. (2011). The psychological impact of intragenerational social class mobility. Social Science Research, 40(3), 757-772.

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For this assessment, you will reflect on your privilege (or lack thereof) and how it has impacted your life changes. You will also analyze how your privilege is related to those around you and make connections to social mobility. Understanding our privilege over others can help us solve problems and better interact with those around us.

Understanding Privilege – A Reflection on Social Mobility and Connection

Preparation
Review the suggested resources for this assessment. Note that Chapter 8 of the Sociology: The Essentials textbook provides useful background information, including information on social stratification and social mobility.

Complete the Examining Your Privilege interactive media piece. Please note that your responses will not be shared with your instructor or others.

Instructions
Considering your responses from the Examining Your Privilege interactive media piece, complete the following:

Explain the role privilege plays in social hierarchies and opportunities for social mobility. Use your own experiences or the experiences of those you know as examples.
How might your position in society’s stratification system have impacted the opportunities you have had or choices that you have made?
Explain how a sociological perspective on privilege, stratification, and social mobility may help with collaboration.
How might better understanding the experiences of those around you and their relationship with privilege help you to work alongside them to accomplish goals?
Discuss how having a better understanding of personal privileges could support problem solving at work.
Describe the outcome after completing the Examining Your Privilege media.
What surprised you? What did you learn about yourself?
Be sure to write in a well-organized and concise manner that adheres to the rules of grammar, usage, and mechanics.