Discuss the View That Roles of Men and Women in the Family are Becoming More Equal

The aim of this essay is to attempt to come to a conclusion as to whether the gender roles within the modern-day family are equal, whether they are becoming more equal, and whether they shall ever be equal. In doing this, we shall have to study the views and opinions of many schools of thought, the results of different studies, and recognise and fully appreciate the arguments of different people and groups. The title question itself raises many debateable points, as it makes assumptions that ignore the diversity of the family. Firstly, and most obviously, the question assumes we shall only deal with heterosexually based families, not same-sex relationships. While same-sex families most definitely exist, they are a minority and do not really come into the issue of gender, therefore I shall ignore them for the course of this essay. Secondly, no two families are exactly the same. Families in different countries will no doubt have different attitudes on the subject of equality, and there will be noticeable differences across race, class and culture divisions, as well as between two different families with (superficially at least) a lot in common. This type of diversity would require its own set of studies and essays, and so for the sake of this essay I shall limit my studies to families from this country, and to statistical evidence; rather than individual families. There are many different views concerning the equality between men and women in the family. The traditional nuclear family as we consider it today would be a married man and woman with children, with the man going out to paid employment and the woman staying at home to do housework and look after the childrenWillmott and Young's views are similar to those of Postmodernists, a sociological school of thought that developed in the 1980s. Postmodernists believe that we live in a postmodern world, where differences in gender, race, class etc are now obsolete. As a result, they see gender roles in the family to be equal and egalitarian, and claim that any inequality or dissimilarity between gender roles in individual families is due to the choice of the members within the family. Many people have attacked Willmott and Young's study, claiming insignificant evidence and inaccurate methodology to back up their conclusions. Edgell's Middle Class Couples (1980) claims that while the division of housework is more equal than in the past, the vast majority of families are far from being egalitarian. Edgell also puts emphasis on the fact that the division power within the family also still seems unequal, with men making the majority of decisions for the family. Many feminists also claimed that the statistics show that men still do a disproportionately small amount of work at home. While some more liberal feminists believe we are on a steady path to gender equality within the family, many more hard-line and radical feminists argue that gender roles are far from equal. Ann Oakley's The Sociology of Housework (1974) and Housewife (1976) argue that modern women work a ‘double-shift', juggling full-time employment and housework. Oakley claims that â€Å"One occupation in particular, that of housewife, is exclusively feminine. In Britain, 76% of all employed women are housewives and so are 93% of non-employed women†¦Ã¢â‚¬  – Housewife (1976). She argues that while feminism has forced change in waged employment, social attitudes in the home remain the same. According to Oakley, men do very little in the home, with dishwashing being the only housework men do more than women. She also argues that men see doing housework as a favour to their wives, rather than a duty; and that childcare for most men is merely a spasmodic activity of recreation. Many other sociologists attack Oakley's views, accusing her of hypocrisy as she attacked Willmott and Young's methodology, while her own studies into housework completely ignore the more traditional male jobs, such as DIY, operating machinery, gardening, simple household repairs and so on. A. Warde's Domestic Divisions of Labour (1990) offers a more well rounded view: * Male Partner Female Partner Shared Plastering 32 4 2 Tidying Up 2 67 23 Cooking 4 77 17 Checking Car Oil 79 9 2 Bathing Children 22 44 33 It may also be important that the female-dominated jobs (Tidying up, Cooking, Bathing children) are much more often ‘shared' than the male-dominated ones (Checking Car Oil, Plastering) Burghes (1997) argues against Oakley's dismissal of male childcare, stating that more fathers are taking an active role in the emotional development and support of their children. Marxists argue that the traditional nuclear family was merely a way for the capitalist class to control and exploit the proletariat through ideology. Therefore, Marxist-Feminists believe in a ‘patriarchal ideology', in which girls are socialised into a male-led world to accept their role as housewives, and make marriage and family their main goal. In turn, this will benefit the capitalist society by keeping the status quo, and creating a new generation of similarly socialised male workers and female housewives. Marxist-Feminists believe this patriarchy occurs at all levels of society, from making girls wear skirts to advertising dolls on television, and that to truly achieve gender equality we must dispense with socialising our children into gender roles. People often dismiss this view, claiming that gaining equality should not mean compromising identity, and many other feminists believe that retaining their femininity is as important a part of the struggle for equality as gaining equal rights. The New Right believe that the nuclear family is the ideal family structure, and that Britain went through a ‘Golden Age' during the 1950s. Since then, they claim that feminism and equal rights have caused women to demand jobs, and thus be absent from home. As a result, the New Right argue that this puts stress on the nuclear family, often tearing it apart, and that absent parents cause deviance and social problems amongst their children. They claim that this has caused a decline in the family, and an increase in what they consider social problems (egg divorce, single-parent families). They believe that the current equal rights movement is wrong, and that people should return to the traditional nuclear family, which gives everyone an equal but separate, individual role. These views are similar to those of functionalists. Functionalists also believe that the nuclear family is the perfect and desired family type, as each member is supported within the family unit, and each person agrees on their role within the family to keep it working. Robin Fox (1969) argued that roles in the family were based on biological rules, while Talcott Parsons (1955) took a similar view, claiming that naturally women are best at ‘expressive' roles, such as caring, empathising and socialising, while men are best at ‘instrumental' roles, such as working for money. Therefore, functionalists believe that biological factors determine gender roles within the family, and the traditional roles within the nuclear family are the perfect representation of these roles. What is more, functionalist claim there is a consensus within the family, whereby all members of the family agree to these roles. These functionalist and new right views are viciously attacked by Marxists, feminists and postmodernists, all of whom agree that gender roles are culturally, not biologically, determined. Marxist-feminists claim that the consensus is an illusion, as women only accept their roles in the traditional family as they have been socialised to do so by patriarchal ideologies. All feminists also disagree with the New Right idea of the ‘perfect' nuclear family and the ‘Golden Age', claiming that all these things did were control and manipulate women, and that roles within such families were never equal. As this essay has shown us, views on gender roles in the family are fiercely contested, and opinions differ drastically. Functionalists and the New Right insist that gender roles in the family are biologically intended to be different, and were most equal in the traditional, nuclear family. Postmodernists and followers of Willmott and Young claim we have moved into an era of egalitarianism, where gender roles are shared and equal. Feminists argue that while there has been a small amount of progress, gender roles are far from equal, and females still have a much worse ‘deal' than males. I have attempted to fully understand all these points of view, and come to a fair conclusion. In truth, it seems to me that the real nature of gender roles within the family is somewhere between all these points of view. I believe that as we currently stand, gender roles are equal, but not egalitarian. More males share more of the housework and childcare than ever, while more females are pursuing careers and learning what were traditionally ‘male' skills (eg DIY, repair, vehicle maintenance etc). People tend to still do jobs that were traditionally considered ‘right' for their sex, and there are most definitely still differences between the genders, but these boundaries are being pushed every day, and more and more families are sharing more jobs and decisions. I think we must remember that social attitudes take more time to change than social actions, and we must recognise that change is occurring. Since the 1970s, when Ann Oakley wrote her books on housework, we have seen the rise of the ‘new man' and ‘house-husbands'. Meanwhile, more and more women are proving Fox's and Parsons' theories of biologically determined roles to be wrong. Not all families will follow the statistics; there will always be a few male-dominated households, just as there are now ‘role-reversal' families. And families will always differ slightly from each other. But within a few generations, I believe that Willmott and Young's vision of an egalitarian family will become our view of the majority of families, as we're halfway there already.

Ideology Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Ideology - Research Paper Example due in part to centuries of anti-Semitism and sensitivity to the way in which issues relating to Israel’s existence and the Holocaust are understood by individuals throughout society. Yet, rather than dismissing this topic out of hand, due to the fact that it is somewhat unpopular to discuss, this particular student has felt it necessary to undertake an analysis of the situation that could help to spread a further level of understanding with regard to whether or not the Israel lobby is in fact disproportionately powerful within the United States house and Senate. Research by Dov Waxman indicated that the Israel lobby has a long standing relationship with both political parties; thereby enabling it to engage newcomers and the executive branch in a way that few other lobbies are capable of doing. Such an understanding is essential towards realizing the scope and breadth of the Israel lobby and the means by which AIPAC and others mobilize their influence to effect key goals that relate to the strategic needs that Israel and its lobbies represent. Waxman further notes that even though many other countries have sought to label their own lobbies after that of Israel, the overall level to which they are able to accomplish their strategic vision and needs pales in comparison to the degree and extent to which Israel is able to continue to foist its views on to the political spectrum within the United States. Hila Tal indicated that the commercial success of the Israel lobby is ultimately continues to encourage it integrate the political process within the United States. Ultimately, as a direct result of the fact that the Israel lobby is effectively able to garner tens of billions of dollars each and every year for Israel and its respective interests throughout the region, the lobby self perpetuates and gains a further foothold with respect to the way in which it can engage the Democratic and Republican stakeholders within the United States Congress. Other lobbies that

Abraham Lincoln. His Life and Achievements Research Paper

Abraham Lincoln. His Life and Achievements - Research Paper Example He was a man of character, integrity and strength. In the present discourse, an attempt is being made to understand Lincoln’s life, achievements, struggles, failures and their impact on America based on existing literature. Lincoln’s childhood: Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12 1809 in Kentucky to Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks. His childhood was something that even Lincoln was never excited about because of the poverty and other challenges he had to face (Charnwood, 13). Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States of America. His enduring struggle was to end slavery in America and to economically transform the nation. As a young boy, Abraham Lincoln was involved in helping his father and his neighbors (p. 15). Lincoln owes his mental qualities to his mother as well as his step mother. Lincoln’s step mother was instrumental in the minimal education that he received with parental support. Lincoln has the ability to attract crowd even from his earlier years of adolescence. This is evident from Charnwood’s statement, ‘Lincoln was a person of high consideration among the lads of his age and company’ (p.20). Literature related to Lincoln’s reading habits highlights his immense love for reading and reading habits. During his teenage, he read books like Aesop’s Fables, Robinson Crusoe, The Piligrim’s Progress, A History of the United States, Weem’s Life of Washington and even Revised Statuses of Indiana (Charnwood, 21). Even before he reached the age of 20, Lincoln had a deep understanding of how his nation functioned, the principles policies and its governance (Tarbell, 34). Lincoln left his home at 22 and settled in New Salem, Illinois, which were the foundational years for his future. Based on his own efforts, Lincoln acquired some formal education for next few years; he entered the legal profession at the age of 27 (Wilson, 15-19). His achievements in the field of law studies and the profession are attributed to his own hard work and constant struggle. His struggles in the profession of law as well as politics have been immense and are epitome of an ideal le ader and a winner ever since he was elected as the President. Political affiliation: Abraham Lincoln’s first successful electoral is associated with the Sangamon County as the surveyor in 1834 and followed by the Illinois house of representatives as a representative for the Sangamon County in 1836. Lincoln was elected for the Illinois legislature during subsequent 3 years (Chin, 34). As explained by Mansch, Lincoln’s entry into politics is associated with the Nebraska Bill and did succeed in winning a seat in the Illinois legislature around 1854 (p.41). But, Lincoln resigned this post because he wanted to challenge Stephen Douglas, who was responsible for opposing anti-slavery. At this time, Lincoln struggled to gain political identity. Lincoln was deeply moved by the group fighting against slavery, known as free-soilers or anti-Nebraskans that was formed during 1854. At this time, Lincoln knew that he wanted a stable party that shared his political ideals and could be lieve in creating a prominent party of the future. Two years later, i.e. in 1856, different groups with these ideals supporting anti-slavery gathered in Bloomington, which Lincoln attended. Lincoln appropriately used this opportunity to bring together various groups that were fighting against slavery, poverty, and for democracy. Lincoln’s deep desire to abolish slavery and achieve a liberal democracy had made him say, ‘I have no objection to ‘fuse’ with anybody provided I can fuse on ground which I think is right’ (qtd. in Mansch, p.41). Lincoln’s personal experiences with the blacks were minimal, yet he was aware of the slavery

The Virgin Atlantic Global Marketing Analysis Essay

The Virgin Atlantic Global Marketing Analysis - Essay Example The essay "The Virgin Atlantic Global Marketing Analysis" talks about the Virgin Atlantic, one of the British Airlines that covers the Atlantic region including UK, North America, Caribbean, Africa, Middle East, Asia and Australia. The bases are located in London Heathrow and London Gatwick while another important base is the Manchester Airport.In the operation of airline companies, there are different factors that are considered. One of the said factors evolves in the trends related to tourism in the international community. Basically, when it comes to tourism, the ways of traveling specifically by air can be considered almost a necessity. Thus, due to the continuous development of the both the economy and the culture towards globalization, the global travel is tightly knitted to the trends in tourism.Therefore, there are different trends in tourism that can be considered to dictate the trends in the aviation technology. One is the economy of a country or a destination. For example, for areas wherein there are increasing demands for employment, there is consequently an increase in both business and luxury travels. Though other factors that can affect the trends in the aviation companies and their operation are the continuous development of the technologies that are involved in both flying and business. Therefore, based on the different global trends that dictate the operation techniques and programs of participants in the tourism industry, there are different market drivers.

Macro and micro economics analysis Research Paper

Macro and micro economics analysis - Research Paper Example Toyota Camry is one of the popular cars that are being manufactured by Toyota. The car is available in global market in two classes, such as Narrow-Body; Compact class and Wide-Body; Mid-Size class. The car under these segments has achieved huge fame since its establishment in the year 1982. Indian car industry is very much potential and year after year the demand of cars is increasing significantly. The target audience of Toyota Camry in Indian market is the people who are highly educated and enjoys high living standard. Both men and women over 30 years of age are the key target consumer of this particular product. Indian automotive and car market is highly potential and competitive enough. Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai Motors, Tata Motors, Ford Motors and Mahindra and Mahindra are the major competitors of Toyota in Indian market (Kotler, 2009). Maruti Suzuki is the leading player within the Indian Vehicle industry according to the market share figure 2010 (Figure 1). Microeconomics Market Mechanism: Demand and Supply Considering the market mechanism in India, historical facts help us to understand the Indian market. India started manufacturing automobile after 1947. Before Independence in the times of 1920, the Maharajas possessed cars especially of Rolls Royce as their status symbols. With time after independence, the need for a people’s car evolved and the middle class families also started to own cars. Initially the indigenous automobile companies captured the majority of market share but with the liberalization in government policies, the foreign automobile giants like Toyota started to invest in the Indian market. For launch of Toyota Camry, Toyota can look at the positive indicators of Indian market which indicates that the Indian car market is the fourth largest in the continent of Asia and stands out as the fifth largest manufacturer of commercial vehicles. The price elasticity of demand and supply in the Indian market are the key factors that Toyota would need to consider before the launch of Toyota Camry. It is to be kept in mind that the cars in India are considered as a luxury product. Also the Indian market consists of consumers ranging from lower class to lower middle class to middle class to upper class. Thus various sections of the society according to their levels of income make the Indian car market a mixed bag. Thus the price of cars in Indian car market is a significant factor as market responses largely vary with respect to changes in the car price. With unit changes in price of the cars, the demand of the cars in India would decrease and the supply of cars in India would fall. Thus the price elasticity of demand and supply for cars in India is greater than 1 showing the demand and supply id highly elastic with respect to price of cars in India. Also the rise in price of related goods of car like petrol, diesel also affects the demand and supply of cars in India. Thus the factor of cross-elasticity of indirect goods like petrol is also present in the Indian car market. The income elasticity on demand and supply in the Indian car market also needs to be considered for the launch of Toyota Camry. The factors of production for Toyota Camry with respect to its launch in the Indian market include an analysis of the demand and supply of the car market in India. The Indian car market was de-licensed in 1991 with the gates in automobile sector opened for 100% investment by the foreign

Letter to the Editor Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Letter to the Editor - Assignment Example ting from graffiti are that the value of the property declines and retail sales decreases as persistent cleanups and re-painting ruin the structure and erodes material from the walls, beside, graffiti triggers the impression of menace and reinforce the trepidation of gang ventures. Furthermore, this activity grant to lost earnings linked with minimized ridership. These obstacles were directly associated with graffiti, the indirect hurdles that arises as a result of this activity includes shoplifting for graffiti materials; here the acquisition of product is on the expense of the shop owner, secondly graffiti done by gangs are parallel to speaking volumes about their activities and intention and creates fear among the settlers in the vicinity, for usually texts such as ‘you’re next’ or ‘I am back’ convey threats. Likewise, terror is kindled in the people by painting pictures of destruction such as fire flames, broken house, dead bodies and destroyed cars or other vehicles. In order to maintain some peace and harmony in the society, solutions needed to be presented for such activity. As far as my opinion matters, I think that there are few solution that if applied can be productive. For a start, create awareness among the locales and students about the negative impacts of graffiti and how it is related to high cost through and educating them through a campaign. Furthermore, applying eradication where paintings or marks are removed quickly and efficiently so that the vandals does not repeat the act and get the message that the people care about their society and their irrational act will not be tolerated. Moreover, residents should keep record of occurrence of graffiti and should inform authorities about this activity so that the vandals are caught sooner. Similarly, make shop owners to not sell graffiti materials to students or doubtful people in order to restrain these marking and etching. Likewise, install bright light, especially in those areas wher e

Health and social unit Essay Example for Free

Health and social unit Essay Outcome 1 understand the importance of equality and inclusion 1.1 Diversity- Diversity literally means difference. Diversity recognises that though people have things in common with each other, they are also different and unique in many ways. Diversity is about recognising and valuing those differences. Diversity therefore consists of visible and non-visible factors, which include personal characteristics such as background, culture, personality and work-style in addition to the characteristics that are protected under discrimination legislation in terms of race, disability, gender, religion and belief, sexual orientation and age. Equality- Equality means treating people in a way that is appropriate for their needs. For example, if someone with a disability wanted to board the plane and was in a wheelchair, it would be no good saying to them, â€Å"you have to take the stairs like everybody else†. What is needed is a way of getting on the plane that will suit everybody’s needs without showing them up and treating them in a way that is worse than other people. Inclusion- Inclusion is about equal opportunities for all pupils, whatever their age, gender, ethnicity, attainment and background. It pays particular attention to the provision made for, and the achievement of, different groups of pupils within a school. Discrimination- Giving preference over one kind of people over another because of race, color, creed, national origin, disability, sexual preference, age, maritial status, looks, etc. 1.2 In a work place discriminatin can diliberatly occur, I.E for example if you celebrate christmas and make everyone get involved with secret santa or christmas gifts but not everyone may not celebrate christmas some may have differant religions and beliefs,this is why you should see things with an  open mind and not discriminate anyone just because of your own beliefs. 1.3 By supporting a person’s equality you are treating them as equal and including them in all activities, you will be reducing the likelihood of discrimination Outcome 2 2.1 Equality Act Humans Rights Act GSCC = The General Social Care Council.