I think a big part of privledge is the freedom to just be without the weight of your identity guiding everything you do.
Like if a guy wants to be an aerospace engineer, he’s a smart young man with big dreams, but for a girl, it’s like wow how revolutionary and brave of her going into a male dominated field and braving all the hardships.
I know people mean this genuinely, but it gets to the point where it becomes almost insulting because there’s a lot of subtle undertones that imply that it’s hard to break into because SHE isn’t enough to face such a manly and intellectual field. I don’t want to sound whiny because this seems to trivial to some, but these little comments and subtle attitudes chip away at people’s determination and make them feel foreign and alienated.
Conversely, it makes it harder to take up traditional fields because there’s a feeling of obligation to break barriars for other people so they don’t have to go through the same struggle. Furthermore, traditional roles and jobs are often devalued and seen as an “easy way out” when it’s just someone’s aspirations and genuine hopes.
In the end, it makes it hard to choose either road because no matter what people contaminate your decisions with their own perceptions of your motivations when you just want to because you’re human and have hopes and dreams for the sake of having them, with no real ties to your identity.
Having to juggle with these thoughts and always questioning your own motives and doubting your own resolve to do what you want to do weighs on a person in a way I think you have to experiance to understand. If it seems insignificant for some people, it’s because they don’t feel this jumble of conflicting thoughts skittering around the back of their heads every day. I think it’s pretty common for a lot of people though, but I could just be talking out of my ass.
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