When I chose my college, one of the last things on my mind was how much it cost. I was convinced I would get scholarships (and I did) as well as federal aid, but I also knew my parents would help me pay for it.
See, my mom had spent most of her career working as an audiologist for Washington University (WashU) in St. Louis. One of the key benefits included in her package was a full tuition scholarship for her children to attend WashU, or up to half of WashU’s tuition toward another school. While so many of my friends’ parents changed jobs throughout their childhood, my mom stayed in her role. She was committed to getting this benefit since it was only available if you worked at WashU for a certain number of years and continued working there throughout the child’s college education.
Though I didn’t end up at WashU, I didn’t think much about this benefit until late in my senior year when the financial aid office let all of us seniors know what we owed. I had peers who owed $100,000+, others who owed nothing, and there I was in the middle of the pack with just about $30,000 in debt -- the average for a college student at that time. This proved to be a manageable amount of debt for me to pay off. But let’s be honest: My debt was as manageable as it was because of my mom’s hard work. I did nothing to deserve it other than be her daughter. And that makes it part of my own financial privilege story.
This week’s blog marks the start of a two-part series on financial privilege. This week we’re going to dive deeper into what it is, what it isn’t, and why it’s so important to talk about. Next week, I’m going to walk you through your financial privilege story and share some more of mine along the way.
So, where do we begin unpacking financial privilege? Let’s take a look:
Begin by Zeroing in on You: What tangible and intangible “gifts” did you receive because of the family, location, and time period you were born in? These are things you received because of the effort of others; you didn’t do anything to deserve them. Remember my example above, I personally benefited from my mom’s hard work and sacrifice. If you were not a person born into a privileged position, it’s possible you may have very little to put in this category, and that’s ok. Next week we’ll dive into this in more detail.
Tip: Don’t play the comparison game, thinking about all the things you didn’t have that others did. It might help to begin with those important things that we often take for granted, like a safe and loving home or simply a roof over your head.
Zoom Out to Consider Systemic Inequality: Privilege encompasses not only your family of origin but also societal factors as well. We live in a society that creates policies that benefit certain groups. Sometimes these are overt, but other times they are not.
Tip: Do a little research to see how this might come into play. Consider the countless studies on hiring bias: Even with identical resumes people with more “white” sounding names are more likely to get an interview. Think about the gender pay gap. Even in 2020 women are often paid less than men for doing the same job and the gap widens even further for women of color.
Having Privilege Doesn’t Automatically Mean You Are Rich: “Privilege” has long been used to describe “trust fund kids” with seemingly perfect lives. But it’s important to remember that privilege isn’t just for those who are rich or who seem to have everything handed to them. Privilege points to the benefits you received without any effort on your part. It comes in many forms, and they aren’t all economic.
Tip: Often when I see comments about privilege on social media, people who are white say they aren’t privileged because their lives are worse off (in their minds) than a Black person like Michelle Obama or Oprah. Remember that having privilege doesn’t automatically get you a better life. It just means that you’ve had to jump less hurdles to achieve your goals.
Privilege Isn’t Binary: Most of us have some areas of our life where we have privilege, and others where we don’t. It’s good to recognize all of the peaks and valleys. Instead of thinking of someone as either “privileged” or “unprivileged,” think about it as a spectrum. If life is a race and privilege is the starting block, some started the race of life a little further behind, some a little further ahead, some way behind, some way in front.
Tip: It’s important to note here that privilege isn’t only about race — it’s multi-faceted. Conversations about privilege and prejudice need to be intersectional. In other words, we need to take into account people’s overlapping identities (race, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, age, and physical ability) and experiences to understand the complexities of prejudice they face and/or privilege they experience.
Privilege Doesn’t Negate Hard Work: Privilege and hard work are not mutually exclusive. Admitting you have it does not diminish the effort you and your family put in to get where you are today. For example, my white skin might make it easier to get a home loan, but that doesn’t mean the house is just given to me; I’ll still have to save for the down payment and continue to pay off the mortgage. It’s appropriate to acknowledge both your privilege and the hard work you put forth to achieve your goals.
Tip: We need to be just as focused on identifying stories of privilege and prejudice as we are on stories of hard work. We need to acknowledge the ways that we and our ancestors were harmed or helped on their way to achieving the “American Dream.” Taking a closer look at the racial wealth divide is a great way to start peeling back the layers of this story.
Shift Your Guilt Into Action: It’s not uncommon to feel guilty about the ways the system has benefited you and shame for the way your ancestors (and even you) have contributed to perpetuating this system. Identifying and acknowledging your privilege is a vital step in the process, but getting swallowed up by guilt does no one any good. Guilt puts the focus back on you, not the underprivileged and the unjust system. Instead, let that awareness propel you to action on behalf of those who need you. Use your privilege to open doors, advocate for others, right injustices, and close disparities.
Tip: Whenever you start to feel overwhelmed, remember: Your feelings do not change the system. Instead, ask yourself: What step can I take, right now, to close the gap? One of the best things you do during this season is vote.
Stay tuned for part 2 next week, where we’ll be taking a closer look at how to identify privilege in our own lives.