Classism is linked in many ways to racism, sexism, heterosexism, and other forms of oppression. Classim often appears individually through attitudes and behaviors, including through policies and practices, and culturally through norms and values. Similar to other forms of oppression and prejudice, there is a tendency to make generalizations or stereotypes about people such as “black people are thieves.” After reading articles by Rubin (6pm), Coltrane (7pm), and Stacey (8pm) I came to understand how the institution of a family provides a sense of privilege for some groups while maintaining a system of oppression for others. In Rubin (6pm), Rubin examines the social, cultural and economic changes of the past two decades and explores their impact on family life. Rubin shows us how much all working-class white, black, Latino, or Asian families have in common and how courageously they face the many challenges in their lives. It also explores how the failing economy has contributed to seemingly unbridgeable divides between them. In our daily lives, there is usually not enough time or opportunity to consider how the interaction of multiple social categories to which we belong influences beliefs, behaviors, and ideas. life chances. For example, in the article “Gay and Lesbian Families Are Here” a gay man expresses his thoughts on equal civil rights. He goes on to say, “I resent the fact that married people get lower taxes. But as long as the institution of marriage exists and heterosexuals have this privilege, then gays should be able to do so too” (296). In particular, this quote reflects the idea that we are discouraged from critically examining our culture. People in positions of privilege often don't notice...... middle of paper......ob after giving birth to my younger brother. The reason she was transferred was because her manager thought she had to take care of my younger brother and would not be able to fulfill her travel duties which her job required a lot. I honestly believe that if he had been a man with a child, he would have stood his ground. My mother was discriminated against and oppressed because of her family status. Eventually, individuals typically learn their assigned place in the hierarchies of race, gender, and social class in their family of origin. At the same time, they learn to view such hierarchies as natural social arrangements as opposed to socially constructed ones. Hierarchy in this sense becomes “naturalized” because it is associated with the apparently “natural process” of the family. One way this happens is when racial and gender inequality is explained using family roles.