Gender Roles In Modern Family

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Recommended: Present day family gender roles

Sarah Elizabeth Frady JOUR U450_1W Allison Ludwig May 20, 2014 Modern Family and Gender Roles American Broadcasting Company's sitcom, Modern Family, debuted in 2009 and is in its sixth season. It was met with critical acclaim and good ratings (Modern Family). The show airs once per week on the ABC network (ABC shows schedule). The show attempts to portray the humor behind three different families of varying composition. However, Modern Family’s attempt at giving an honest portrayal of the titular modern family falls short and instead relies upon tired tropes and clichés to derive its humor. Modern Family does not attempt to depict the state of gender roles in today’s society, sadly falling back on old gender standards found in sitcoms since their start. The first family depicted, the Dunphys, is a typical family depicted in media. The father, Phil, is the breadwinner of the family while Claire, the mother in the family, has career ambitions used as a device for humor. There is an episode in which she runs for city council. Rather than lauding her efforts in their own merit, the focus of the show is placed on Phil's attraction to ambitious women as well as the inability of a father to run a household without his wife. Claire’s failed entry into the political arena only emphasizes the lack of forward thinking presented by the show (Upadhyaya). Perhaps even more upsetting is the depiction of the Dunphy's two daughters. One daughter, Hailey, is considered extremely attractive and popular but not at all intelligent or competent in life. The other daughter, Alex, is portrayed as incredibly driven and bright but is also considered weird, unpopular, and unattractive. The second family with a semi-traditional composition, i... ... middle of paper ... ...lichés which hinder, rather than challenge traditional gender roles within the sitcom family. Modern Family is a step in the right direction compared to some of the tired retreads of television tropes established in previous sitcoms, but as shown with their portrayal of the primary women in the show, it still has a fair distance to travel before it can openly claim it approaches the ever changing definition of gender roles with some sense of modernity towards women. Works Cited “ABC shows schedule.” ABC. Disney, n.d. Web. 20 May 2014. “Modern Family.” IMDb. IMDb.com, Inc., n.d. Web. 21 May 2014. Upadhyaya, Kayla. “Kayla Upadhyaya: 'Modern Family' has misplaced values despite big success.” The Michigan Daily. University of Michigan, 18 March 2012. Web. 21 May 2014. Zeisler, Andi. Feminism and Pop Culture. Berkeley: Seal Press, 2008. Print. Works Cited

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