**Wealth is one of the most important privileges in the modern era, and it unites people of all backgrounds in its abundance or lack of such, however it cannot be considered the _only_ important privilege.** - Three of the main issues of disparity and tension in current society are class, race and gender. - Wealth privilege concerns class, and in western cultures exists white privilege and male privilege. - Many individuals are privileged in some areas and not others. - _To have a privilege does not assume one's life was easy or carefree, but that it had not been made significantly harder by having to face systemic obstacles as a direct result of one's class, gender or race._ -Privileges can also be classified as either [positive or negative](https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=_nyHS4WyUKEC&pg=PT735&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false), depending on how they affect the rest of society. **White privilege** - The term white privilege originated in the US in the 1980s, referring to both the obvious and the hidden advantages afforded to white people by systemic forms of racial injustice. - It means that there are issues and topics that white people often don’t have to think about, including the realities of racism - something which is an unavoidable part of reality for their non-white counterparts. - It is important in the modern era to become more conscious of racism as a white person, especially the ways in which white people are contributing to this, often unconsciously. - To acknowledge this privilege can help eradicate the struggles of those without white privilege. **Male privilege** - Male privilege is the system of advantages or rights that are available to men solely on the basis of their sex. - In a similar sense to white privilege, this involves men not having to even consider many of the daily struggles that come with being a woman. - While some argue this also applies to women of men's issues, the difference is the system is set up according to patriarchal standards, meaning men do not face the systemic hardships of women, and women are more aware of male issues due to existing in a society in which men are at the front and centre. - Acknowledging this privilege is important in order to overcome barriers to gender equality that adversely affect all genders.