Wheel of Privilege and Power

I believe intersectionality to be the most important aspect of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) but it seems to be the least talked about. Efforts in my own town have decided to prioritize different areas but completely ignore others. I saw several variations that depicted a wheel of privilege and none of them seemed exhaustive enough or they felt misguided when their wedges overlapped as members from those marginalized communities provided input into what their slices should look like.

So I tried my hand at making my own interpretation based on the original content, different interpretations of that content, the feedback I received, and my own experiences and opinions.

Keep in mind that this wheel is dynamic. If you decide to plot your identity, it probably won’t be the same every time you do it. Circumstances change, money comes and goes, life happens. Some aspects of your life are permanent, but even if everything stayed the same, your age wouldn’t.

Some people straddle multiple rings for a single demographic category, bisexuals for example. While your sexual orientation may not change, your partners might. Therefore people treat you differently based on how they perceive your relationship. If you can pass as the hegemonic power, you may experience that privilege. If you don’t, you may experience discrimination.

The Spectrum of Power and Privilege

The biggest difference between my wheel of privilege and the previous adaptations is that each demographic category, or wedge of the wheel, has three (3) rings: power, erased, and marginalized. Some acknowledged this spectrum of power, but I’ve specifically put a label on these simplified levels. I wanted to acknowledge the identities of those that experience erasure.

The Ring of Power

One ring to rule them all: the innermost ring is the most privileged/powerful. The people who take up space in this ring, especially if they exist in multiple wedges of the innermost ring, will have the most power in any room. That means their opinions will be listened to and considered more often than others.

This is where allyship is important. If you’re a privileged and/or powerful person and you’re in the room with someone that isn’t, your job as an ally is to make space for them, amplify their voice, and listen. If they aren’t in the conversation, that is the only time when it is appropriate for you to speak on their behalf. Also, ask yourself why they’re not part of the discussion and look for ways to invite them to it.

Erasure

The middle ring is often the forgotten ring (think “middle child syndrome” but on a societal scale). People in this area often have their identities erased and are marginalized in unique ways. The people that exist on either extreme see those in the middle as “passable” for the other extreme. Essentially, it is believed that they can “choose” to be marginalized or privileged when it benefits them.

This is an incredibly hurtful myth because your place within these rings is rarely by choice. This is where most of the covert discrimination exists through dismissal and minimization, often from both sides. People in this area are valid; their opinions and experiences are just as valuable as those who “have it worse.”

Marginalized Identities

The outermost ring is the most marginalized because these people experience more overt discrimination (in addition to the covert stuff) than the other rings. In areas where erased identities can pass, marginalized people cannot and are often affected the most by systemic discrimination.

It is also no surprise that in America, these identities are underrepresented everywhere unless for a specific, usually negative, purpose such as:

1. the subject of jokes in comedy
2. villains in media
3. targets of eugenics
4. targets of Nazis, neo-Nazis, mass-shooters, and white supremacists
5. children are taught to avoid them or not talk about them
6. behavior or appearance is criminalized
7. children dress up as them for costumes
8. used as school mascots

and so much more…

Honorable Mentions

Here are some demographic categories that I considered but didn’t quite make the cut for my already extensive infographic:

1. Number of Kids:
   1. Power: has two biological kids, specifically a cis-gendered son and daughter; this is privileged in the eyes of “this is what heteronormative parents are supposed to do – replace themselves”
   2. Erased: is one-and-done or has “too many” kids
   3. Marginalized: is child-free either by choice or circumstance
2. Type of Kids:
   1. Power: biological (seen as most desirable)
   2. Erased: adopted (they’re “not really yours” but the placement is considered permanent)
   3. Marginalized: fostered (also “not really your” kids and the placement is temporary)
3. Dominant Hand: right-handed (privileged) vs left-handed (erased)
4. HIV Status: does not have it (privileged) vs has it (marginalized)

---

Featured photo by GR Stocks on Unsplash.

Sources

• Sylvia Duckworth, “Wheel of Power/Privilege” (Aug. 19, 2020). Instagram.
• “Anti-oppression” Canadian Council for Refugees.
• Olena Hankivsky, PhD, “Intersectionality 101” (Apr. 2014). The Institute for Intersectionality Research & Policy, SFU.
• Linda, “Fategories – Understanding the Fat Spectrum” (Jun. 1, 2021). Fluffy Kitten Party: Fat Activism, Health at Every Size, Anti-Diet, Culture.

Editor's Note: This article was originally published on November 21, 2021, and was last reviewed on January 13, 2023. This article was edited to replace “childless” with “child-free” because the term “childless” has a negative connotation and further marginalizes people who choose not to have children. The wheel of privilege infographic had the “skin color” wedge updated on June 29, 2022. It previously listed “Black” as the only marginalized identity and “Different Shades” in the erasure ring. After listening to some discussions between BIPOC content creators, I’ve decided to revise my wheel to display visibly Black, Brown, Indigenous, and Asian (BBIA) people as the most marginalized and white-presenting BIPOC in the erasure ring.