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How has your gender affected your class experience?
Great question! Can't really separate it from race. Grew up white, middle class (NOT upper middle class, two parents who had professional jobs and stayed married). I think my gender made me understand on a gut level that all the privileges I or anyone else may have could be taken away, that some people will hinder you because they feel threatened or just because they can within the system of how things work. My gender was my lens into disempowerment. My ethical upbringing emphasized compassion and caring for others, so that's how it turned - I'm a social worker and an advocate with a pretty radical analysis.
How has it NOT affected my class experience?
I think my gender has doubled or tripled the difficulties of living in the class of less financial resources. I am deeply resourceful and tenacious because of my gender. I've survived such assaults to my person and my soul because I am a woman and yet it is also my powerful connection to being a woman engaged in the work of mothering, loving, healing and nurturing (I do this happily and realize not all women want to be seen as doing these tasks but I really enjoy this way of loving myself and others) that carries me through.
Raised upper-middle class, it was abundantly clear to me that I needed to be tough, and not be a silly girl. I was told that I needed to make "something" of myself, and this meant that I must take up a "serious profession". When I was 7, I said that I wanted to be a lawyer when I grew up, because I liked LA Law. I was sat down by my aunt and she explained the practice to me. When I was 22 and said that I wanted to be a filmmaker, I was told to stop being ridiculous and get real. Being an artist is something "poor people do, because they can't make more money so it doesn't make a difference to them. You could do so much more with your life." Some of this is simply class, but I also had to have a respectable profession because I am a woman and therefore must continue the struggle against the glass ceiling. Stepping out of that game would be quitting.
MORE SURVEY QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:
May 2008: What's the most memorable symbol of class from your childhood?
April 2008: How can publishers, librarians, and teachers make working class literature (including poetry) relevant to you?
March 2008: How do you think Barack Obama’s success in running for the Democratic candidacy for President will impact the way we think about race and class?
February 2008: How do you see class impacting your parents' parenting? Your own?
January 2008: Do you have any New Years resolutions that concern class and/or classism, and what are they?
December 2007:What does your religious, spiritual or philosophical tradition say to you about simplicity and poverty, especially related to holidays?
November 2007: What did you learn in school about the Native American experience?
October 2007: Have you, a family member or friend ever worked in agriculture? What were the circumstances?
September 2007: How did (or does) your social class impact your educational experiences?
August 2007: What books or films have expanded your understanding of class?
July 2007: How does your current class position effect what kind of vacations you take?
June 2007: How does your class background affect how you use the commons (public spaces, commodities and rights)?
May 2007:How do you see class differences in the way that holidays are celebrated?
April 2007: How does your class affect what you eat?
March 2007:Has class status affected your family's mental health and or access to services? How?
February 2007: How do you feel your class situation has impacted your experience in or with sports?
December 2006: What responsibility do different economic classes bear for reducing their contributions to global warming pollution? Should wealthy people assume more of the cost of fixing the problem?
November 2006: For those who have served (or who are currently serving) in the military: Have you encountered classist attitudes about your choice to serve? For everyone: Do you see a class divide in terms of who serves in the military? What does this mean for the military and the country?
October 2006: How is television perpetuating stereotypes or classist portrayals? What are some examples of characters, storylines, or news stories that you have found particularly troubling?
September 2006: Higher Education can be a class marker, the access channel to "upward" mobility,or class liberator. What are the connections with class and higher education for you?
August 2006: How does class affect how you spend your non-working hours and impact your vacation options?
June 2006: What are the ways that you see class or classism play out in your spiritual community or congregation of faith?
May 2006: When did you first become aware of your class or class differences? How old were you?
February 2006: How do class differences impact your relationships?
January 2006: What privileges should we all have?
Are there any privileges none of us should have?
December 2005 Survey Question:
How do class issues come up for you during the end-of-year "consumer" holidays?
November 2005 Survey Question: Please tell us about your experiences of class, class differences, and classism in your education/school.
October 2005: Tell us about a time you've either been an ally to someone or had someone be an ally to you around issues of class.
September 2005: What are the ways you see the race and class divisions exposed by Katrina?
August 2005: What class did you grow up in? What was good or bad about your class experience growing up?
July 2005: What are your strongest memories connecting race and class?
June 2005: The New York Times and Wall Street Journal each ran their own series on class. What is your response to the recent press on class?
May 2005: The good, the bad, and the ugly of cross-class relating
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