Changing roles in the family structure

572 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Roles Of Women In Society

In the last 50 years we have seen changes in the family structure. In the process the roles of women have also changed however we still see inequalities in the home, workplace and public despite women having proven themselves equal to men.
Talcott Parsons (1955) proposed a functionalist model which suggest a clear division of labor where men have an ‘instrumental role’ geared towards succeeding at work and women have an ‘expressive role’ geared towards socialization of children and meeting the family emotional needs. He argues that division of labor is based on biological differences and states that women were more suited for nurturing and emotional roles whereas men tend to take on the role of the provider.
Young and Willmot (1973) support Talcott with their ‘March of Progress’ view and state that the household is increasingly becoming more equal in terms of labor divided equally. They state that families are taking one more symmetrical role where women go out to work and men help with housework and childcare. While not identical it can be seen that the roles have become and continue to become more similar.
Ann Oakley( 1974) argues that this is not convincing evidence as men over emphasize their contribution to the household with only 15% having high level participation with housework and 25% helping with childcare. She states that men are happy to contribute to housework and childcare however they would only help with the more ‘pleasurable’ aspects. Ann Oakley’s opinions are supported by Mary Bolton (1983) and Akan Warde and Kevin Hatherington (1993) who state that fewer than 20% of husbands had a major role in childcare and that sex-typing is still major issue in the domestic environment.

While Ann Oakley has strong evidence ...

... middle of paper ...

...s to family income and the Allowance system where the husband gave the wife an allowance for food, children needs and depending on how much these would costs a small amount for herself.

Works Cited

Rachael Saunders theguardian.com, Wednesday 6 February 2013: date accessed 22/11/2013
Browne, K., (2008) Sociology for AS. Polity Press: Cambridge
Newbold, C., Peace, M., Swain, L., Wright, M. (2008) AQA Sociology AS. Nelson Thornes: Cheltenham
Webb, R., Westergaard, H., Trobe, K., Steel, L. (2008) A2 Sociology, Napier Press: Brentwood
Sociology in focus , 1998 , Causeway press LTD
Quotes used:
Ann Oakley (1974) Page 120
Mary Bolton (1983) Page 120
Young and Willmot (1973) Page 123
Key Ideas in Sociology , Martin Slattery , 2003
Information used:
Gender scripts
Financial violence
Dual burdens

Webb et al, 2008
http://mcgraw-hill.co.uk/openup/chapters/0335213200.pdf

Show More
Related

  • Family Gender Roles

    1303 Words  | 3 Pages

    A typical afternoon consists of my dad laying on the couch from a long day at work, and my mom in the kitchen, preparing dinner. Although we live in an era that has predominantly nullified sex-specific social norms, a difference in gender roles still exists within households. What exactly are gender roles? They are fixed, gender specific expectations, established, in this case, among families. These roles of what should socially be considered masculine and feminine have existed throughout many centuries. A particular issue regarding gender roles is, do gender roles in households ultimately affect both the physical and mental development of a child? With thorough research and observations conducted by, Jacquelynne S. Eccles, Janis E. Jacobs,

    Read More

  • History of Woman's Rights rooted in Mary Wolfstonecraft's Publication Vindication of the Rigts of Women

    1451 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...hen these women have outside jobs they are still mainly responsible for childcare and care of the home, the male of the household has not taken on more tasks. This does not level the playing field between genders and causes more stress for the female in the family. In fact, while the male is not providing anymore assistance around the home, some of the childcare is being outsourced.

    Read More

  • Sheryl Sandberg: The Feminist Movements

    1193 Words  | 3 Pages

    An argument has been raised that women have to be in charge of their home due to a man’s unwillingness to take over parenting responsibilities. That is quite beneficial to the women’s rights movement for the reason father’s helping a lot more time with children, building a stronger family relationship. Women have been subjected to fit into a certain image to suit society eyes for a long time, one of the main images being a stay at home mom nut they a capable of so much more. Females have more of a broader range of abilities than men do regardless of widespread idea that they are incapable of doing most activities.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Richard Dorment´s Why Men Still Can T Have It All

    1162 Words  | 3 Pages

    Instead these life decisions are primarily influenced by an individual’s personal limits, beliefs, and morals. Though sexism and pay discrimination still exist there are so many regulations and penalties in place that such behavior has become very uncommon. Dorment creates a new scene where he asks women to not only take on the same sacrifices men past and present have all while realizing that men are doing the best that they can. I believe that this scenario created is key to realizing that women can only take on leadership roles or progress in their careers if they are willing to make sacrifices. They can’t expect special treatment or think that being successful doesn’t come with downsides when the thing they are fighting for is equality. According to the Pew Research Center 60 percent of two parent homes with children younger than eighteen consist of dual-earning couples. This study explicitly shows how men are no longer the sole provider, but instead that women are taking on careers while giving up the stay at home role. In addition, despite men typically spending a little less time at home than women it is become increasingly normal for the home work load to be more evenly divided in dual-earning households. As Richard Dorment mentions, this raises the question “Why does the achievement gap still exist?” Men and Women are increasingly splitting the home work load between each other yet men still appear to be achieving more in the workplace than women. Though the opportunities available to each are the same it is the personal motivation and limits that are resulting in the gap. Women value family time over work time greatly while men are much more willing to sacrifice personal time for work because they feel it is for the good of their family. The difference in personal importance is one factor that contributes to the gap and

    Read More

  • American Women: Can They Have It All?

    1786 Words  | 4 Pages

    Society has seen the male dynamic of superiority, designation as the “bread winner”, or head of household for centuries. Women were specifically assigned to the roles of wife, mother, and nurturer through the process of the sexual or gendered division of labor. However, that has not always been the case. Over centuries of change and shifts in economic development, the roles of women have changed to adapt to their specific roles in society. The status of the individuals in society was defined by sex, age, physical trai...

    Read More

  • Persisting Gender Roles: A Barrier to Progress

    1525 Words  | 4 Pages

    Caregiving and homemaking are the primary roles given to women by society. And as Brigid Schulte stated in her article “Women aren’t the only ones trapped by gender roles”, “As long as women are expected to do the bulk of the caregiving and housework, and work cultures respect and reward people who don’t, women will remain at the disadvantage”. This quote simplicity sums up the effect traditional gender roles on the potentials of women. As long as these societal expectations are set in place, men will be the ones consistently given the rewards because their position in society is seemingly “superior” to women. According to an article from Forbes magazine entitled “The 5 Most Damaging Myths That Keep Women From Advancing and Thriving In Our World Today”, the second most damaging myth is the thought “that gender equality is just a workplace issue”(Caprino). Though this is a major issue surrounding traditional roles, the behavioral and physical expectations of men and women cannot be overlooked. “Social roles are the part people play as members of a social group. With each social role you adopt, your behavior changes to fit the expectations both you and others have of that role”(McLeod). Women are expected by society to be dependent, passive, emotional, and nurturing and look graceful and petite. Opponents to the aforementioned statements would suggest that

    Read More

  • Sociology 111 Midterm

    1328 Words  | 3 Pages

    Talcott Parsons and Robert Bales, two of the leading figures in sociology, may be considered the founding fathers for the ideas of the “modern family” and the “male-breadwinner family.” Collectively, their work has influenced how Americans analyze families and has sparked new ideas regarding the American family from sociologists such as Stephanie Coontz and Arlie Hochschild. However, when studying the American family, Parsons and Bales fail to understand that the “ideal” family may not be so ideal for everyone. They neglect to consider societal influences and economic changes when discussing patriarchal social norms as the most optimal family structure. Their description of the male-breadwinner family consists of the father being the “instrumental leader” within the home, providing economically for his family based on his occupational earnings. Meanwhile, the mother is considered the manager of the household, providing for her husband and children physically, emotionally, and mentally.

    Read More

  • Evolution of Gender Roles in Society

    1012 Words  | 3 Pages

    Let’s talk a little bit about what is male gender role, it is similar to gender-role, however it isn’t just assigned characteristics like gender-role. For many decades the phrase stay-at-home dads was unimaginable. In today’s society for every stay-at-home father there are 38 stay-at-home mothers (Sociology a brief introduction [262]). Along with the gender-role of society, the actual male gender role is slowly changing. With men working women jobs it also sheds light on those men that can now be accepted as being stay-at-home fathers, they go hand in hand together. Men now being able to have different gender roles in society they still feel the need to respond how a society male gender role should respond. For example, those in the women’s job being a teacher, he must not be too much of a “sissy” (Sociology a Brief introduction) he needs to react to situations more stern, as a male should. The effect this also has on society is women having to accept males being capable of having the ability to do their jobs. For instance, a man goes out clubbing and meets a women he claims he is ‘“a carpenter or something” ‘because women were just not into a male nurse. Reality men are not only being able to work women’s jobs, by doing so it expresses to society multiple masculinities. This is men having the

    Read More

  • Gender And Gender Inequality In The Workplace

    1452 Words  | 3 Pages

    For example, males are identified as the head of the household and the provider for the family. This concept affects society because women are told that they should be nurtures and should be dedicated to their children. This shows that women were told that they shouldn’t work and should instead focus on being a housewife. This results in the mother and children being dependent on the father. Men are told that they should provide financial support for the family. Also, men are the authority in the household because they discipline their children. Ridgeway says” Gender beliefs are a continual referent for people’s own behavior and sense of identity in the home, and because household tasks themselves carry a gendered connotation, the performance or non-performance of those tasks can be a symbolic gender display for the person “(135).So, gender beliefs effect on how we view gender in the household because it is based on expectations of gender roles. Moreover, gender in household affects household division because women spend more time in the household. For example, since males are the providers they are rarely at home. They are not able to help with household duties. The mother does all the housework in the household. Also .the mother spends her whole time attending to the children and doing chores. Ridgeway says “One way to see the power of gender as an organizing force in the household division of is to examine that extent to which people sex category alone predicts the amount and nature of the household work they do in comparison to their other identities” (139) .Household division the results would show that the women do more household chores than

    Read More

  • Gender Inequality: Economic and Social Impact

    881 Words  | 2 Pages

    While gender inequality is exceedingly different today than it was sixty years ago, there are many challenges that come along with it that still affect us

    Read More

  • Gender Roles In What's Wrong With Cinderella

    830 Words  | 2 Pages

    Watching old shows like Leave it to Beaver and The Andy Griffith Show, it is obvious that our current ideas about gender roles has shifted away from the idyllic family of the husband working and the wife staying at home to look after all the domestic needs. This is mostly because of the economy which as forced many women, whether they want to be or not, to join the work force to keep food on the table and a roof over their families head. While women have embraced this change and used it to show that they can do the same jobs males can, it has been harder for men to accept that they are no longer the sole provider for a family anymore, as pointed out in the article Why We Need to Reimagine Masculinity. It has become a necessity for many people

    Read More

  • Sociological Perspectives on Alcohol Use, Problems, and Policy

    2339 Words  | 5 Pages

    Murray, Jane Lothian, Linden, Rick and Kendall, Diane. (2011). SOCIOLOGY IN OUR TIMES, Fifth Canadian Edition by Nelson Education Limited, Published by Thomson Wadsworth, USA.

    Read More

  • Gender Discrimination

    1206 Words  | 3 Pages

    Second, although women aren’t considered mere pleasures anymore, and are given more rights, they are still considered minority. Third, during a divorce, men adjust better, with their preoccupation on their work, and often tend to have the upper hand of the divorce. Fourth, men are the householders despite the fact that most households are ran by women and are biologically more connected to the children. Lastly, although many girls of today consider diverse jobs, some are hindered by their gender. Although it is said that women are treated equal to men, it is not true and more measures should be taken and more effort put into equalizing men and women.

    Read More

  • Gender Roles In The Family

    1624 Words  | 4 Pages

    The roles women typically play in the family may not always be consistent with success in the occupational arena. Staying home to care for a sick child may conflict with an important meeting (Broman 1991:511). Sometimes there has to be a change of plans when it comes to the family. Most people believe that family comes first no matter what. Men 's engagement in paid work fulfills prescriptions of hegemonic masculinity by facilitating their ability to gain status in the public sphere. A man can judge his worth by the size of a paycheck (Thebaud 2010:335). Most research shows that women are more likely to be effected by the household and men are more likely to be effected by their job. Some people feel that the goal is to reach higher on the occupational

    Read More

  • Gender Role Ideology Essay

    1127 Words  | 3 Pages

    A gender role attitude is an individual’s interpretation and expectation on how a woman or man should behave. These assumptions create a socially accepted “norm” about each gender. In various lectures, we examined three common gender role ideologies; traditional, egalitarian, and transitional. A traditional gender role would fit into society’s fundamental outlook on a household. An individual holding this view would believe that men should work and earn money for the family, while women stay at home to do house work and take care of the kids. An egalitarian position believes that both women and men should equally distribute responsibility throughout every situation they are faced with. This would include dividing duties up evenly despite what type it is (more strenuous chores vs. easy chores). A transitional approach combines the traditional and egalitarian approaches together. A couple who practices this attitude would split up the tasks equally but in a way that still views men as holding the majority of the “household” power. For example, women would do the dishes and clean the house while men would cut the lawn and fix the car because those jobs are “more difficult”.

    Read More

More about Changing roles in the family structure

Open Document