Privilege is the sociological concept that some groups of people have advantages relative to other groups. The term is commonly used in the context of social inequality, particularly with regards to race, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, and social class. Specific elements of privilege may be financial or material such as access to housing, education, and jobs, as well as others that are emotional or psychological, such as a sense of personal self-confidence and comfortableness, or having a sense of belonging or worth in society. It began as an academic concept, but has since become popular outside of academia.
Oppression is the exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner. It can also be defined as an act or instance of oppressing, the state of being oppressed, and the feeling of being heavily burdened, mentally or physically, by troubles, adverse conditions or people, and anxiety.
Groups that have privilege are not oppressed. To not be in an oppressed group is a privilege.
Add together the numbers associated with the questions below to get your privilege score. Lowest possible score is 0. Highest possible score is 1620. Average score is 1190. If your score is above 1190 then you have more privilege than most people and you experience less oppression than most people. If your score is below 1190 then you have less privilege than most people and you experience more oppression than most people.
This privilege calculator was made in the United States in 2015.
Questions:
Are you homeless?
Yes
No, add 100
Is your annual income between $15,000 and $30,000 US dollars or your net worth between $20,000 and $50,000 US dollars?
Yes, add 10
No
Note: Annual income refers to your income, not your spouses income, or your parents income. Net worth refers to your net worth, not your spouses net worth or your parents net worth. Only use your parents income and net worth if you are under 18.
Is your annual income between $30,000 and $60,000 US dollars or your net worth between $50,000 and $100,000 US dollars?
Yes, add 50
No
Is your annual income between $60,000 and $200,000 US dollars or your net worth between $100,000 and one million US dollars?
Yes, add 100
No
Is your annual income between $200,000 and one million US dollars or your net worth between one million and five million US dollars?
Yes, add 200
No
Is your annual income above one million US dollars or your net worth above five million US dollars?
Yes, add 400
No
Do you have a high school diploma?
Yes, add 10
No
Do you have a bachelors degree?
Yes, add 10
No
Do you have a masters degree or doctorate degree?
Yes, add 10
No
Do you have a full-time job that you enjoy doing, and do you get along well with your boss, your co-workers, and your customers, and are you getting paid at least $15 an hour?
Yes, add 10
No
Do you have good credit? Is your credit score above average?
Yes, add 10
No
Are you white? Were most of your ancestors European?
Yes, add 20
No
Is your ethnicity the same as that of most people in the country you are living in? Examples are the Han majority in China, Serbs in Serbia, English people in the United Kingdom, and European-Americans in the United States.
Yes, add 20
No
Are you oppressed by the government because of your ethnicity? Examples are Kurds in Turkey, Tibetans in China, Arabs in Israel and Palestine, Scottish, Irish, and Welsh people in the United Kingdom, and Native Americans and African-Americans in the United States.
Yes
No, add 20
Is your religion the same as that of most people in the country you are living in? Examples are Hindus in India, Muslims in Egypt, and Christians in the United States.
Yes, add 10
No
Are you oppressed, targeted, or spied on by the government because of your political views? Examples are anti-communists in Cuba, Irish nationalists in Northern Ireland, and communists, socialists, and anarchists in the United States.
Yes
No, add 10
Are you male?
Yes, add 20
No
Are you gay, lesbian, queer, homosexual, or bisexual?
Yes
No, add 20
Are you transgender, transsexual, or intersex?
Yes
No, add 40
Are you between age 18 and 50?
Yes, add 10
No
Have you ever been in prison?
Yes
No, add 20
Have you ever been in jail for longer than one week?
Yes
No, add 10
Do you have a criminal record that can be viewed by someone who does a background check on you such as a landlord or employer?
Yes
No, add 20
Is there any negative information about you on the internet such as a news article about a crime that you were arrested for?
Yes
No, add 40
Are you currently in a jail, prison, hospital, nursing home, assisted living facility, psychiatric ward, or mental institution?
Yes
No, add 40
Do you live in the country you were born in?
Yes, add 10
No
Are you legally in the country you are living in? Are you a citizen? Are you an immigrant with a green card, visa, or permission?
Yes, add 20
No
Do you have a disability? Has the Social Security Administration determined that you have a disability?
Yes
No, add 40
Do you have a major disability such as quadriplegia, paraplegia, blindness, or deafness?
Yes
No, add 200
Do you have any physical health problems?
Yes
No, add 10
Do you have an illness or injury that causes pain for most of the day?
Yes
No, add 100
Do you have an illness that could kill you in the near future such as cancer?
Yes
No, add 50
Do you have a physical abnormality that causes you to look significantly different from most people? Do you have a noticeable disfigurement, deformity, birth defect, amputation, or missing body part?
Yes
No, add 200
Are you underweight or overweight?
Yes
No, add 20
Are you of average height for your sex? Are you a woman between 5'0" and 5'8" or are you a man between 5'6" and 6'2"?
Yes, add 20
No
Has a psychiatrist ever diagnosed you with a mental disorder? Have you ever been prescribed psychiatric medication? Have you ever been in a psychiatric ward or mental institution?
Yes
No, add 20
Have you ever attempted suicide?
Yes
No, add 20
Have you ever experienced trauma such as war, assault, fist fights, solitary confinement, torture, rape, starvation, bullying, abuse, etc?
Yes
No, add 20
Have you ever been addicted to a drug such as alcohol, caffeine, tobacco, marijuana, cocaine, etc?
Yes
No, add 10
Are you in a happy, long-term, sexual relationship with a significant other such as a husband, wife, boyfriend, or girlfriend?
Yes, add 20
No
Do you have friends that you spend time with in person at least once a week? Can be relatives, non-relatives, or a significant other. Anyone basically.
Yes, add 10
No
End of questions. Add up the numbers to get your privilege score.
Oppression is the exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner. It can also be defined as an act or instance of oppressing, the state of being oppressed, and the feeling of being heavily burdened, mentally or physically, by troubles, adverse conditions or people, and anxiety.
Groups that have privilege are not oppressed. To not be in an oppressed group is a privilege.
Add together the numbers associated with the questions below to get your privilege score. Lowest possible score is 0. Highest possible score is 1620. Average score is 1190. If your score is above 1190 then you have more privilege than most people and you experience less oppression than most people. If your score is below 1190 then you have less privilege than most people and you experience more oppression than most people.
This privilege calculator was made in the United States in 2015.
Questions:
Are you homeless?
Yes
No, add 100
Is your annual income between $15,000 and $30,000 US dollars or your net worth between $20,000 and $50,000 US dollars?
Yes, add 10
No
Note: Annual income refers to your income, not your spouses income, or your parents income. Net worth refers to your net worth, not your spouses net worth or your parents net worth. Only use your parents income and net worth if you are under 18.
Is your annual income between $30,000 and $60,000 US dollars or your net worth between $50,000 and $100,000 US dollars?
Yes, add 50
No
Is your annual income between $60,000 and $200,000 US dollars or your net worth between $100,000 and one million US dollars?
Yes, add 100
No
Is your annual income between $200,000 and one million US dollars or your net worth between one million and five million US dollars?
Yes, add 200
No
Is your annual income above one million US dollars or your net worth above five million US dollars?
Yes, add 400
No
Do you have a high school diploma?
Yes, add 10
No
Do you have a bachelors degree?
Yes, add 10
No
Do you have a masters degree or doctorate degree?
Yes, add 10
No
Do you have a full-time job that you enjoy doing, and do you get along well with your boss, your co-workers, and your customers, and are you getting paid at least $15 an hour?
Yes, add 10
No
Do you have good credit? Is your credit score above average?
Yes, add 10
No
Are you white? Were most of your ancestors European?
Yes, add 20
No
Is your ethnicity the same as that of most people in the country you are living in? Examples are the Han majority in China, Serbs in Serbia, English people in the United Kingdom, and European-Americans in the United States.
Yes, add 20
No
Are you oppressed by the government because of your ethnicity? Examples are Kurds in Turkey, Tibetans in China, Arabs in Israel and Palestine, Scottish, Irish, and Welsh people in the United Kingdom, and Native Americans and African-Americans in the United States.
Yes
No, add 20
Is your religion the same as that of most people in the country you are living in? Examples are Hindus in India, Muslims in Egypt, and Christians in the United States.
Yes, add 10
No
Are you oppressed, targeted, or spied on by the government because of your political views? Examples are anti-communists in Cuba, Irish nationalists in Northern Ireland, and communists, socialists, and anarchists in the United States.
Yes
No, add 10
Are you male?
Yes, add 20
No
Are you gay, lesbian, queer, homosexual, or bisexual?
Yes
No, add 20
Are you transgender, transsexual, or intersex?
Yes
No, add 40
Are you between age 18 and 50?
Yes, add 10
No
Have you ever been in prison?
Yes
No, add 20
Have you ever been in jail for longer than one week?
Yes
No, add 10
Do you have a criminal record that can be viewed by someone who does a background check on you such as a landlord or employer?
Yes
No, add 20
Is there any negative information about you on the internet such as a news article about a crime that you were arrested for?
Yes
No, add 40
Are you currently in a jail, prison, hospital, nursing home, assisted living facility, psychiatric ward, or mental institution?
Yes
No, add 40
Do you live in the country you were born in?
Yes, add 10
No
Are you legally in the country you are living in? Are you a citizen? Are you an immigrant with a green card, visa, or permission?
Yes, add 20
No
Do you have a disability? Has the Social Security Administration determined that you have a disability?
Yes
No, add 40
Do you have a major disability such as quadriplegia, paraplegia, blindness, or deafness?
Yes
No, add 200
Do you have any physical health problems?
Yes
No, add 10
Do you have an illness or injury that causes pain for most of the day?
Yes
No, add 100
Do you have an illness that could kill you in the near future such as cancer?
Yes
No, add 50
Do you have a physical abnormality that causes you to look significantly different from most people? Do you have a noticeable disfigurement, deformity, birth defect, amputation, or missing body part?
Yes
No, add 200
Are you underweight or overweight?
Yes
No, add 20
Are you of average height for your sex? Are you a woman between 5'0" and 5'8" or are you a man between 5'6" and 6'2"?
Yes, add 20
No
Has a psychiatrist ever diagnosed you with a mental disorder? Have you ever been prescribed psychiatric medication? Have you ever been in a psychiatric ward or mental institution?
Yes
No, add 20
Have you ever attempted suicide?
Yes
No, add 20
Have you ever experienced trauma such as war, assault, fist fights, solitary confinement, torture, rape, starvation, bullying, abuse, etc?
Yes
No, add 20
Have you ever been addicted to a drug such as alcohol, caffeine, tobacco, marijuana, cocaine, etc?
Yes
No, add 10
Are you in a happy, long-term, sexual relationship with a significant other such as a husband, wife, boyfriend, or girlfriend?
Yes, add 20
No
Do you have friends that you spend time with in person at least once a week? Can be relatives, non-relatives, or a significant other. Anyone basically.
Yes, add 10
No
End of questions. Add up the numbers to get your privilege score.
