Analysis Of Modern Family

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Recommended: Portrayals of women in media

According to the United States Department of Labor, 58.6 percent of women are active participants in the work force, making up 47 percent of all workers in the country. Despite this fact, mainstream television shows like ABC’s Modern Family choose to portray their adult female characters in a way that is no longer representative of the current American experience. Modern Family unintentionally projects an image of the stay-at-home mother to its audience as an ethical and moral norm. Characters such as Gloria Pritchett are portrayed as good for nothing except shopping, being attractive, and always ready to be the trophy on her husband’s arm. Other maternal characters on the show try to branch out into the working world but fail, teaching the audience that their place is in the home. These characters include the excessively feminized Cameron Tucker, and the neurotic homemaker Claire Dunphy. These portrayals send an unintended and unethical message to viewers. This message attempts to make the case that a woman’s place is at home, and if she chooses to branch of her confined space she will undoubtedly fall flat. Though Modern Family claims to represent the new family realities of this millennium, it seems to be caught in the fifties because none of its maternal characters have any means of employment. At the head of the family is the patriarch Jay Pritchett and his wife Gloria Pritchett. Gloria is Jay’s much younger sexy Latina second wife. Following Jay and Gloria is Jay’s gay son Mitchell Pritchett and his partner Cameron Tucker. For the show, Mitchell and Cameron represent the new and modern interpretation of the traditional American family. However, to make them fit into the traditional family oriented sitcom that is Modern Fam... ... middle of paper ... ...f today’s American family. With closer analysis it becomes evident that Modern Family does not offer viewers new depictions of the basic family unit. Instead it seems to spread values that are no longer in sync with Americans today. One of these unintended messages is one that tells female viewers that their place is in the home, and unauthorized movement from that place will result in disappointment. While the show is not representative of current realities for women, Modern Family’s wide acceptance can tell us something about American society. Although women make up almost half of the workforce this shows wide success could speak to the fact that Americans still hold the idea of the stay-at-home mother as a standard to be emulated. Looking forward, is it possible that shows like Modern Family could lead to a pivot back to the more traditional values of yesteryear?

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