Privilege

Privileges are advantages, rights, or opportunities that certain people or groups automatically receive, or receive much more easily, because of their social position, group membership, or closeness to social norms. They are often taken for granted, even though other groups do not have access to the same benefits to the same extent. In a social context, privilege can contribute to marginalized people being disadvantaged or excluded more often.

One example is the formerly restricted access to marriage for same-sex couples in Germany: until 2017, marriage was mainly reserved for heterosexual couples, while same-sex couples were initially limited to registered civil partnerships. Such differences show how law and everyday life can grant more options to some groups than to others. Privilege does not necessarily imply personal guilt; rather, it describes structural inequality.