The Contemporary Family as More Democratic and Equal
In the course of this essay I shall be looking at the role of the
family. In doing so I shall be examining various studies carried out,
showing what the role of the family should be. This will include
views by Willmott and Young, and contrasting ones of such authors as
Ann Oakley, a feminist. The family is often looked upon as a social
institution, a bond that joins individuals into families. This bond
is reinforced by marriage, economic co-operation and sexual activity
leading to the eventual conception of new life. This is typical of
the viewpoint taken by functionalists such as Murdock, who saw that
each member of the family had a role to play in order for it to be a
success. This was a positive outlook for the family, however
feminists such as Oakley believed this was not the case.
From the late nineteenth century until the 1950’s traditional
relationships between a man and his wife could best be described as
male dominated. This “Patriarchy” was based around the view of this
era that the father was the undoubted head of the household. Whatever
his viewpoints, values and needs were these would always be listened
to and met. The views of women on the other hand were very much
repressed. Fletcher, pointed out that both women and children were
frequently exploited both inside and outside the family and conditions
within the home were deplorably inadequate. (“The family and marriage
of Britain”)
Women therefore were regarded as inferior to men and their main roles
were as housewives looking after the home, mothers looking after the
children, and as wives looking af...
... middle of paper ...
... available. This is why this important issue is being recognised more
and more. In contemporary society too, let’s not forget the fact that
family life is moving further away from what was the norm, being the
nuclear family consisting of a male and female and their children.
Nowadays the rise of divorce rates, pregnancy outside marriage and
co-habiting are all major issues in contemporary family life. Also
the more recent upsurge and proliferation of gay and lesbian
relationships and marriages cannot be ignored. All these issues show
how family life in the twenty-first century has radically changed.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
PAUL TAYLOR ,SOCIOLOGY IN FOCUS
JOHN J MACIONIS AND KEN PLUMMER, SOCIOLOGY, A GLOBAL INTRODUCTION
FLETCHER, THE FAMILY AND MARRIAGE OF BRITAIN
OAKLEY, HOUSEWIFE, 1974
WWW.SOCIOLOGY.ORG
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The hit television series, Modern Family presents “one big, straight, gay, multi-cultural, traditional, happy family” in a mockumentary style (“Modern Family”). The American sitcom series premiered on ABC on September 23rd, 2009 at PM ET. The show was developed when writers, Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan decided to produce a show based on their hilarious, real-life stories of their “modern families”. The show has become the new face of the network television family comedy by following the Pritchett- Dunphy- Tucker family in an honest a comical display. The show explores the three branches of this dysfunctional family in order to relate to the contemporary American family. The popularity of the show has found itself at the core of the public sphere, opening the public up to discussion on media content regarding perceptive issues such as same-sex marriage and interracial families. Modern Family brings in an average of 9.48 million viewers per episode every Wednesday at 9 PM. The writers intentionally dig into tensions that arise in the realm of these relatives whom love and accept each other’s lifestyles. Lloyd and Levitan are executive producers of the series as show runners and head writers under the Lloyd-Levitan Productions in affiliation with Twentieth Century Fox television (“Modern Family”). The two pitched the series to the “big three” television networks: ABC, CBS, and NBC. The American Broadcasting Company accepted and picked up the series for a full season in 2009. ABC then renewed the series for 3 seasons. The syndication rights to the show have been sold to USA network and 10 other Fox affiliates (Pauly, 2011).
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The television sitcom Modern Family produced by Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd shows the many different types of a modern American family. According to Andrew Hampp, “The show is among the most-viewed scripted programs in prime time in its second season, averaging 11 million viewers during original airings and often ranked as the most DVRed program most weeks” (2). The television show is a frequently watched show and is liked by many viewers. Modern Family's storyline helps the families of viewers by being an influential and relatable show to different types of families. The show is about the lives of three different families that are all related. In the show there are Jay and Gloria, an intergenerational couple with two sons-- Manny (from Gloria’s previous relationship) and Joe, their new baby. Jay’s adult son Cameron is married to his gay partner Mitchell, and they adopted Lily from Vietnam. Finally, Jay’s daughter Claire is married to her heterosexual partner named Phil and they have three children. The show is influential to our culture today because it shows these different types of families and addresses controversial themes such as gay adoption, the different family connections and communications, intergenerational coupling, and acceptance of diversity within an extended family. The family is easy to relate to while watching because it is based off of real family situations.
In order for society to meet the basic social needs of its members, social institutions, which are not buildings, or an organization or even people, but a system whose of social norms, mores and folkways that help make people feel important. Social institutions, according to our textbook, is defined as a fundamental component of this organization in which individuals, occupying defined statues, are “regulated by social norms, public opinion, law and religion” (Amato 2004, p.961). Social institutions are meant to meet people’s basic needs and enable the society to survive. Because social institutions prescribe socially accepted beliefs, values, attitudes and behaviors, they exert considerable social control over individuals.