All in the Family: Changes in Gender Roles within Nuclear Family

What was the genesis of the nuclear family?  In Family Structure, Institutions, and Growth, author Avner Grief asserted that the nuclear family was dominant in Europe by the late medieval period, taking the place of kinship groups, which had “secured the lives and property of their members and provided them with social safety nets” (Grief, 2006).  The medieval church compelled the nuclear family – a social group consisting of a husband, wife, and children – into widespread existence.  Today, Britannica Online states that while the adult couple is typically a man and a woman, same-sex marriage has expanded the definition of the nuclear family to include gay and lesbian couples.  As such, pop culture demonstrates how gender roles in the nuclear family have adjusted accordingly. 

First, look at how entertainment showed the nuclear family in the 1950-60s.  Classic television (Father Knows Best) and traditional films (Life with Father) presented the stay-at-home, docile mother who dealt with domestic chores alongside the dominant father who generated the family’s income and doled-out discipline.  However, same-sex couples challenge traditional parenting roles.  Consider the television sitcom, Modern Family, which includes a gay couple, Mitchell and Cameron.  The couple, who adopt children, argue vehemently on how to raise their children.  This deviates from earlier television shows because not only is there a stay-at-home dad and a working-dad, but there is conflict as to parenting style.  So, as the nuclear family changes to include same-sex parents, gender roles have less significance in dictating how the nuclear family operates.

Next, look at another effect that challenges gender roles in the nuclear family.  In “Dad-Mom Role Reversals” Sara Eckel discussed issues arising when the unemployed father stays at-home and the mother is responsible for earning a living.  The conventional responsibilities of the male and female adults in the nuclear family had to be adjusted, causing angst for both parents.   Eckel’s article is not about dealing with the conflicts that occur when dad stays home.  As a student of culture and gender, I see the underlying message:  Gender roles are not cast in stone; they are instead fluid constructs of society in need of change to fit the family’s new circumstances. Eckel made another important commentary that I think bears some investigation.   

Eckel stated that “men with a very traditional view of gender roles will refuse to do housework, as a way to gain control.”  The author further presented that oftentimes these role-reversed men felt out of control, possibly powerless, when they not only lost their job, but had to stay home doing women’s work;  the men struggled with their sense of confidence. Does this build up anger and resentment which can spill out elsewhere? I think it may.

Consider this:  75% of the jobs lost in recession belonged to men.  This coincides with the meteoric rise in popularity of gonzo pornography.  The men whom Sara Eckel interviewed talked about the ego blow of not providing for their families, that they do not bring value in their stay-at-home role, and being unable to find fulfillment.  Compare this to Gail Dines statement in The White Man’s Burden that “what constitutes hegemonic white masculinity is itself a moving target that depends on the socioeconomic dynamics of a given time and place (368).  

So let’s connect the dots:  a man’s job is downsized due to the recession.  He feels emasculated because “In the United States…there is a general consensus that a real man (read: white) works hard, puts food on the table…” (Dine, 368).  Based on this, the man with no job is not a real man.  He is further subordinated by performing the subservient role of stay-at-home parent.  The man feels weaker; he builds resentment.  How does this manifest itself?  The man seeks the safe world where he can vicariously release tension caused by his indecisive masculinity – viewing gonzo pornography.   Having read both Eckel’s article on role reversal’s impact on the nuclear family and Dines’ discussion of the rise in gonzo pornography, I say, there must be a connection. 

Works Cited

Grief, Avner.  “Family Structure, Institutions, and Growth:  The Origins and Implications of
          Western Corporations.”  (2006):  308-312.  Web. 20 Feb. 2015.

Eckel, Sara.  “Dad-Mom Role Reversals.”  Working Woman.  N.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2015.