‘White privilege’ is an unhelpful term says equality watchdog boss
THE TERM “white privilege” has been described as “divisive” and “unhelpful” by the head of the UK’s equality watchdog.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission’s (EHRC) chairwoman Baroness Falkner of Margravine said in an interview with The Sunday Telegraph that young people are better off learning about civic rights than worrying about the “innate advantages” of other groups of their peers.
Lady Falkner told the newspaper that she regards expressions such as white privilege an “unhelpful way of looking at society”.
She said: “If we taught rights in the curriculum, human rights, civic rights, that would be the more relevant thing to teach our young people, rather than fretting about one group versus another group, and whether one group has had innate advantages that other groups don’t have.
“I prefer a unifying discourse
to a divisive discourse. And I find those expressions to be divisive.”
Her comments come after a report from the Commons Education Select Committee last month claimed terminology such as “white privilege” may have contributed towards a “systemic neglect” of white working-class pupils.
The Tory-dominated committee said white working-class pupils have been “let down” for decades by England’s education system – and “divisive” language can make the situation worse.
The report said that disadvantaged white pupils have been badly let down by “muddled” policy thinking and the Department for Education has failed to acknowledge the extent of the problem.
The Government has been criticised for its policies to support families on lower incomes throughout the coronavirus pandemic and Tory MPs have been accused of stoking a “culture war” with the report. Critics say it is the Conservative Government, rather than terms such as “white privilege”, which have failed poorer children.
A Department for Education spokesman said this Government is focused on “levelling up opportunity”.