GENDER AND FAMILY

Module 3
Objectives:
At the end of this chapter, the students are
expected to:
• Identify prevailing gender-based inequality in the
family and be able to response proactively;
• Help in the promotion of mutual respect and
cooperation in the family; and
• Appreciate one’s role in forging gender equal
family and that of the community
 • “The family is the natural and
fundamental group unit of society and is
entitled to protection by society and the
state” - (Universal Declaration of Human
Rights Article16).
 Silverstein and Auerbach (2003) offer a
definition of the post-modern family as
“two or more people who are in a
relationship created by birth, marriage or
choice”.
Gender and Family
Gender was viewed as an unchangeable and
inflexible given. It was assumed that family life was
inherently different for women and men. This approach was
consistent with a focus on gender roles in families—
differential obligations of women and men were believed
to incur, appropriately, because of their gender and their
socialization into adulthood. In other words, women and
men were seen as engaging in certain behaviours and
occupying specific roles because they were female or
male (Osmond & Thorne, 1993; Thompson, 1993; and West
& Zimmerman, 1987).
Nature and Notion of Family
Family indeed is the most important
universal institution. It is the core of the social
structure and fundamental unit of the society
because it is from which all other pertinent
institutions to make society works.
 It originated to fulfil the needs of
oneself. The various needs can only be
fulfilled in a family. Everyone is a member
of a family in one way or the other. For a
family or a society to exist, reproductive
usage or sexual relationship is very
necessary.
Some needs to form a family;
• Reproductive urge- that is to have sexual
relationship to have a family of our own. To have
children, sex is necessary.
• Biological needs – sexual urge varies according to
age. If one wants to have sex he cannot have
anywhere or at any time he wants so to have sex
or to satisfy sexual urge marriage is very necessary;
• Economic provision - when a child is born he is fully
dependent on a family (especially for a biological
needs like hunger etc.) economically.
Characteristics of Family – (General)
• Sex relationship should be healthy-present
between husband and wife. Or making
relationship or if this relationship breaks then
the family slowly breaks according to Mac
Iver.
• It provides care to children like economic
needs. Emotional basis i.e. family is based on
emotion. If this is absent the family breaks.
• A system of Nomenclature i.e. according to
Anderson there are two kinds of family and
both these give importance to
Nomenclature. This means that the children
relates to the families name.
• A single household for a well-organized
family.
• Durable association of hubby and wife
according to Anderson & Nimkoff.
• Husband and wife with or without children.
Nature of Family (distinctive
characteristics)
• 1. Universality – family is found in each stage
of society and everywhere. There is no
society without family. There is not a single
man who does not belong to one or other
kind of family"(Anderson n.d.).
• 2. Emotional basis – There should be an
emotional relationship – love, affection,
sympathy, and co-operation. If there is no
such basis the family breaks up.
• 3. Formative influence – Each family has a
certain form: Orientation and Procreations
(Mac Iver). If you are a member of one family
you inherit your parents’ characteristic. Frand
said "In adulthood man has the characteristic
of parents". In pro you give birth to children
and they are influenced by your personality.
• 4. Limited in size – Gisbert "Husband, wife and
children". Family is limited in size in
comparison to other groups. Joint family is
large whereas nuclear family is small.
• 5. Nuclear position in the society – According to
Charles Cooley "Family is a primary group and is
the fundamental unit of society (the network of
social relationship we call it society)". It is the
primary cell of society. Society is an aggregation of
families.
• 6. Sense of responsibility – The function of the
family is to provider economic needs of the
children. It is the responsibility of the parents to look
after the children of the family. At the time of crisis
man is ready to die for country but for his family he
is always ready to protect the family's prestige etc.
• 7. Social control – family is a mechanism of social
control. When one is small he does not know what's
wrong or right. If you follow good you are praised
otherwise you are punished. This makes you think
that you must relate to the good and when you
grow up you relate to the good of society.
• 8. Permanent and temporary in nature – Family is an
institution as well as association. As an institution
family is permanent because it's found everywhere
and at every stage of history. As an association,
family is or close kin group (when the child has his
own family he separates from the original & so
temporary) that consists of father, mother and
children. Generally the children make their own
family but the family disintegrates in case of divorce
or death of a parent.
Theoretical Perspective in Gendered
Family
• Functionalist – believes that the traditional
family as a natural unit exists to maintain
social order and is mutually beneficial to
all. It is then perceived that family controls
behaviour among its members appropriate
to one’s sexuality and/or gender and ensures
this institution is bound to be socially
acceptable and parents can strictly imposed
respective functions on their children.
• Marxist feminist, the nuclear family is believed to
benefit the powerful (ruling class) at the expense of
the working class while women’s domestic labour
enables the future workforce to be reared at little
cost to the patriarchal capitalist state. The
containment of women’s sexual services and
domestic labour within marriage ensures the male
workforce is emotionally and physically fit. Keeping
men satisfied at home detracts from frustrations
caused by lack of power but results in
compensatory behaviour i.e. violence against
women and children.
• feminist believed that men and women are
socialised into gender specific roles that exist
to confirm and uphold male power and
superiority in the family. This would mean that
marriage and nuclear family tend to exploit
and oppress women.
Gender Roles in the Family
• Generally in Europe, men in the family especially with
those with better financial gain for family sustenance
are most likely to dominate women socially, financially
and physically.
• Therefore it is in the interests of those who hold the
most power and control in the family to reinforce
beliefs among the members. Historically, those living in
the traditional nuclear family are favoured to
reinforcing gendered roles within the family i.e. man as
breadwinner and woman as mother and housewife.
Girls and boys as well are socialised into gendered
roles from birth through television and books, clothes
and hobbies, language and school.
Gender Stereotypes in the Family
• Parents and their children are immersed in a
social and cultural environment that produces and
perpetuates gender stereotypes which they may
eventually introduce in the family such as the
choice in clothing, toys to play with, and television
shows while friends and extended family members
as well will all communicate messages, explicitly
and implicitly, about what is considered
‘appropriate’ for mother, father, daughter/s and
son/s in their family (Witts, 1997).
 Gender Inequality (structure) in the
Family
• Gender inequality in the family appears as a particularly
stubborn problem and must be addressed responsively
on all levels. This representation of and support for a
diverse range of home situations and family life will offer
both women and men the opportunity to fulfil their
potential.
• Families are not democracies. Each family has its own
ways of deciding who has the power and authority within
the family unit, and which rights, privileges, obligations,
and roles are assigned to each family member.