(or
white skin privilege) is a term for
societal privileges that benefit people identified as
white in
Western countries, beyond what is commonly experienced by non-white people under the same social, political, or economic circumstances. Academic perspectives such as
critical race theory and
whiteness studies use the concept of "white privilege" to analyze how
racism and
racialized societies affect the lives of white or white-skinned people.
According to
Peggy McIntosh, whites in Western societies enjoy advantages that non-whites do not experience, as "an invisible package of unearned assets".[SUP]
[1][/SUP] White privilege denotes both obvious and less obvious passive advantages that white people may not recognize they have, which distinguishes it from overt bias or prejudice. These include cultural affirmations of one's own worth; presumed greater social status; and
freedom to move, buy, work, play, and
speak freely. The effects can be seen in professional, educational, and personal contexts. The concept of white privilege also implies the right to assume the universality of one's own experiences, marking others as different or exceptional while perceiving oneself as
normal.[SUP]
[2][/SUP][SUP]
[3]
