A Theory of How Power Works In U.S. Society

MORE POSITIONS OF POWER / LESS POSITIONS OF POWER / TYPE OF VIOLENCE/OPPRESSION
Men / Women and people of other genders / Sexism or patriarchy
White people / People of color / Racism or white supremacy
People with wealth / Poor and working class people / Classism or class warfare
Heterosexual people / Lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, and questioning people / Homophobia or heterosexism
People who believe in a Christian religion / People in believe in a non-Christian religion, or who don’t have a religion / Religious oppression or Christian supremacy
Adults / Young people and elderly people / Ageism or adultism
Able-bodied and able-minded people / People with disabilities / Ableism
U.S. citizens / Immigrants, refugees, and people from other countries / Nativism or xenophobia
English speakers / People who primarily speak a language different from English / Nativism or linguistic oppression
Humans / Non-human animals and plants / Speciesism or ecological destruction

According to some scholars, such as Paul Kivel, bell hooks, Derrick Bell, and the Amherst Center for Social Justice Education, people in the United States do not share power equally. Throughout U.S. and world history, members of some groups of people tend to have more power and wealth than members of other groups. Often, the powerful groups have used violence, discrimination, and other unjust treatment in order to keep themselves in their positions of power. This unfair division of power is called oppression, because people who have less power often feel “pressed down.”

At the same time, millions of people who have been unhappy with this unequal power dynamic have organized themselves and fought to change the way U.S. society works. The women’s movement, disability rights movements, civil rights and anti-racist movements, and immigrant rights movements have made major changes in the way the United States works.

Still, many observers believe that power is still divided unevenly. For example, some statistics:

  • Between 600,000 and 6 million women are victims of domestic violence each year—depending on the survey. (US Dept. of Justice)
  • The richest 1% of the U.S. population controls 35% of the wealth. The richest 20% controls 89% of the wealth. That means that 80% of the population only controls 11% of the wealth. (Domhoff, UC Santa Cruz)
  • More than 61% of lesbian, gay and bisexual youth report feeling unsafe in their schools, and 41% report being physically harassed. Students say they hear anti-gay remarks 25 times a day. (GLSN)
  • Families of color, on average, earn 65% of what average white families earn. (US Federal Reserve Board)
  • The rate of death for infants with black mothers is 2.4 times higher than the rate for death of infants with white mothers. Black women are 3.3 times more likely to die during childbirth than white women. (US Center for Disease Control and Prevention)
  • Only 12% of the 400 richest people are women. (Forbes)