2. Family
“Family is a social institution that genders its members and
is organized along gendered lines by other social forces.”
Each individual communicates differently about family and
that in turn affects the institutions structure and its
members.
Communication that occurs in family develops a persons
ideas on gender and family.
3. Every family member has a role in the institution. Each role is
identified by gender indicating that men and women are different
therefore their responsibilities and expectations should be
different or unequal.
4. Family as a Social
Institution
Nuclear Family- A social unit
composed of two parents of
the opposite sex and one or
more children.
The traditional nuclear
family is not as common as
once thought, however it was
revolutionary in prescribing
well defined and exclusive
gender roles in the 1950’s.
5. Interlocking Institutions
Politics Careers
The idea of the nuclear family is
strongly supported in politics
and religion today and is used as
a generalization for all American
families.
Arlie Hochschild (2003) said it
best “Just as there is a wage gap
between men and women in the
work place, there is a leisure gap
between them at home.”
6. Compulsory heterosexuality is the idea that there is only one
acceptable form of family. It excludes all other individuals leading
an alternative lifestyle. And omits all other “non-traditional”
families.
7. Parent-Child Communication
Social-Learning and Modeling- Parents provide the model
through which the child learns its gender identity due to
time spent together.
Gender/Sex Interaction: Parents’ Influence- By observing
and interacting with their parents children learn their
gender/sex identities.
Gender/Sex Interaction: Children’s Influence- Around the
ages of 2 and 3 children acquire a gender identity and will
chose activities fitting of that gender.
9. Dating Relationships
Most of the research done has been
conducted on heterosexual
relationships.
Hollywood portrays the most
desired romance between young
masculine men and feminine
women, of the same race or ethnic
group.
The most common heterosexual
dating practices are when the men
initiate the date while the females
maintain the relationship.
10. Marital Communication
Heterosexual marriages are very likely the most
studied type of interpersonal relationship.
Demand/withdrawl pattern- one partner demands
change while the other resists resulting in failure to
resolve the conflict.
11. Domestic Violence
“Family and other institutions sustain systemic forms of
gender and sex inequality and violence, making the family
one of the United States’ most violent social institutions
and women and children the most common victims.”
Common Couple Violence- A couples inability to resolve
conflict which results in acts of violence towards each other
occurring at equal degrees by both men and women.
12. Emancipatory Families
An array of different family forms where the individuals
feel safe, loved and thrive in that setting.
13. Engaged Fatherhood
Allowing Dads to be flexible
in their gender roles taking
care of their children.
Allowing Dads to be flexible
in their gender roles taking
care of a family member.
14. Conclusion
Family is a social institution with the nuclear family
being the center for cultural ideology.
Violence in the family between partners and towards
children is more prevalent in the United States then
originally thought.
Further research is needed to help families create
better homes for themselves and their loved ones.
