Gender roles in the family

1. {
Gender Roles in the
Family
Morgan Brownlee

2. That starts with family

3. Family is one of the primary places where people are taught
about gender, gender roles and gender socialization (Risman
1998)
Gender is learned at a young age and begins within the family.

4. A group consisting of
parents and their children
United by marriage, blood
or adoption
There are many different
family structures
Family genders its members
and is organized along
gendered lines

Family is an institution

5. Used to refer to feminine and masculine social expectations in a
family based on a person’s sex
Gender Roles

6. -There are many stereotypes we are expected to
follow
-Society expects children to follow gender norms

7. For a girl to play with a truck?
What makes it wrong…
Or a boy to play with
dolls?

8. 2 parent
Single parent
Extended
Blended
Stepfamilies
LBGT
Child-free families
Non-biological families
of choice
Family Structures

9. Stereotyped that is the
“norm” in family
structure
Consists of 2 heterosexual
parents legally married
carrying out in separate
masculine and feminine
roles
Nuclear Family?

10. The nuclear family is self-
sufficient when there are
other factors that influence
it; such as work or religion
Some marriages end in
divorce
Children will live in
blended families
Families will have no kids
under the age of 18
There is an assumption
that the nuclear family is
the “normal” family


Nuclear family is a myth

11. Parent-child
communication
Children’s
communication
Couple
communication
Communicating in family

12. Parents influence gender identity before the child is born
Primary function is to teach and maintain culture norms
Gender norm and roles
Gendered role scripts
Demand to abide by a specific role
Parent-child Communication

13. Siblings influence gender
Parents tend to give children gender specific toys
Children gender/sex themselves
Child Communication
Studies show that girls with older
brother tend to have masculine
identities
Gender specific toys

14. { {
Domestic Communication
Household work
Studies show men tend to
do less house work than
woman
Women and men have
increased involvement in
child care
Conflict Communication
Demand/withdrawal
pattern
One partner wants change
through complaining or
criticizing, the other partner
does not and withdraws by
avoiding or leaving the room

Couple Communication

15. - Parents are the most influential to their children
-Children are likely to model behaviors of who they admire
Gender Role Socialization

16. {
As people construct their own
identities, they make more of an
effort to do so to make them more
socially acceptable
Social Accountability

17. Single parents
Play important role in larger society
Engaged Fatherhood
More emotionally involved
Same Sex Parents
No significant difference in children raised in
heterosexual families
Raising Transgendered Children
Accepting more diverse gender identities
Thriving Diverse Family Structures Today
*The key to all of these is to
provide a loving, supportive
and stable life for the children

18. Parents take turns with
housework
Ex. cooking and cleaning
Encourage the child to do a
variety of activities
Sports, theater etc.
Gender inclusive toys
Compliment a range of
attributes
Educate thoughtfulness
Encourage a variety of friends
Not just same sex playmates
Gender Flexibility