Gender Roles Of Modern Family

In this essay I will explore the different schools of feminism such as Marxist, liberal and radical feminism, who share the view that women are oppressed in a patriarchal society but differ in opinion on who benefits from the inequalities. Each school of feminism has their own understanding of family roles and relationships which I will assess through this essay.

In this paper, I will compare two artworks that share a similar theme of the portrayal of family meals. Also, I will evaluate a contemporary issue shown in artwork that relates to the theme of family meals. The first work of art, The Merry Family was painted by Jan Steen in 1668 and in this painting, it depicts the theme of the portrayal of a family meal in a joyous and amusing setting, but Steen was known for integrating subtle hints into his work. These hints warned the viewer about what is depicted in the painting. The second work of art, The Potato Eaters was painted by Vincent van Gogh in 1885 and it depicts the portrayal of a family meal but in a more straightforward and somber setting. Van Gogh wanted to truthfully depict the people and their lives. My comparison of the two, chosen artwork will show how they may share a similar theme of the “portrayal of family meals” but differ in the meaning, tone and emotion being projected by the artists. I will also explore how this theme is expressed in modern artwork, particularly Eric McCandless’s What ‘Modern Family’ Says About Modern Families.

When comparing these amazing TV shows, there are similarities and a lot differences between them. However, one thing most certainly remained the same: the love they had for one another. While watching a healthy dose of both shows, there are some differences between them in regards to gender roles and socialization, family structure portrayal and parent-child interactions across the board. In The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, the audience was introduced to a new nuclear family. This seemed like the new norm as some would call it ideal because there was an evident decline from the traditional extended family. During the 1940’s and 1950’s, families were always diverse. Comparing their family style to that of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, the idea of a nuclear family was accepted and integrated by most during that time. As time goes on, we, as a community, become more accepting to changes within a family so they become the norm for society. In the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, we saw an extended family living together as a poor black boy who grows up in inner-city Philadelphia moves with his wealthy, upscale family. The family structures between these 2 shows were complete opposites of each other. In the Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, you have the parents, Ozzie and Harriet Nelson and their 2 children, David and Ricky Nelson. This family structure, as mentioned earlier, would be described as a nuclear family, consisting of the most basic unit of family possible. On the other

Throughout life every man and woman fits into a specific gender role. We are told what is expected of men and women from birth until death. Many people influence our view of how we should act and what we should say such as our parents, friends, and even the media. Males and females play very different roles and these differences are apparent in our every day lives. These differences are not the same as they used to be. Society has changed the way it treats men and women over time.

ABC’s Modern Family is a documentary-style comedy series that surrounds the lives of a diverse family. The family is made up of parents Phil and Claire who have two daughters and a son. Claire’s dad, Jay and his Latina wife, Gloria raise two sons of their own but people often believe Jay is Gloria’s father because of the age difference. Jay has a gay son, Mitchell, who lives with his partner Cameron and their adopted Asian daughter. Three different but related families make a unique show and are supposed to represent the families of today. The creators of this series are Steven Levitan and Chistopher Lloyd (IMDb, 2016). Modern Family is intended to be appropriate for all audiences and is geared towards families in the sense that the show tends to stay away from sex jokes or crude humor (Quora, 2016).

How has the image of the family on television changed over time? What important issues in society have been highlighted by these changes?

Modern Family, created by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan shows viewers stereotypes when it comes to women. This is shown through the main female characters, Claire (Julie Bowen), Gloria (Sofia Vergara) Haley (Sarah Hyland) and Alex (Ariel Winter). Claire is depicted as being an uptight, naggy stay at home mother, Gloria as a hot blooded attractive trophy wife, Haley as an unintelligent teenager who only has her looks to offer and Alex, who is the nerdy and unattractive sister.

The Pritchett family is conforming by the husband, father and grandparent, Jay Pritchett who is married with his younger wife Gloria Delgado a Colombian citizen who migrated with his son Manny Delgado to the United States. Many years before Gloria, Jay was married with Dede with whom he had Claire and Mitchell; Claire is married to Phil Dunphy and together they have three children: Haley, Alex, and Luke. Meanwhile Mitchell is married to Cameron Tucker- actually this is the first time in a TV show were a gay couple raising a child appears in TV- together they adopted Lili in Vietnam. Lately (Season 5) Jay and Gloria have a child name Fulgencio Joseph Pritchett. This unusual American family is shown as a close family that even after differences and struggles they are always together and helping each other. I really like the idea that this family is so diverse and unusual, due to the family image that we have been seen through all this time; most of the TV programs only show you one race/ethnicity, whether it is white or black only. However, modern family went beyond that, in this show we get to see different skin colors, different ethnicities, different ages, different genders, and even sometimes they make fun of these, but still they keep being

     Femininity and masculinity are topics that have been debated over in our society extensively, through psychological research and day to day interaction with people. Children learn from their parents as well as society the concept of “feminine” and “masculine.” The majority of people tend to believe that these conceptions are biological but I believe it is more cultural. From birth, female children are shaped by society as being sweet, caring, loving, and delicate and usually associated with the color pink. While male children are shaped by being tough, aggressive, and competitive and associated with the color blue. As these children grow, the boy is given a football to play with and the girl a

Today society displays greater diversity within households. Most American households are now non-traditional or unconventional. Non-traditional or unconventional families include; single parenthood, singlehood and LGBT relationships. Modern family is a comedy exploring the different “modern” families. This show explores a huge unconventional family through a gay couple, made up of Mitchell and Cameron, and their adopted daughter Lily; a straight couple comprised of Phil and Clare, and their three children, Luke, Alex and Hayley; and a multicultural family which is comprised of Jay and his much younger wife Gloria and their son Manny. Modern family explores how the present day family is defined and , modern America means for family members. Despite Modern family’s groundbreaking success in representing non traditional families, the show continues to reinforce heteronormative values through stereotypes of queer identity in regards, gender roles within the relationship, gay adoptive parents and gay marriage.

1. Gender is being male or female, but in a social sense instead of a biological one, like sex. Gender roles are the expectations that society creates for each gender to act like and behave. In the film Parenthood, there were many different examples of gender roles. One of the major one examples that stood out to me was in the instance of Helen and her two children. At the start of the film, Helen let her son, Gary, walk out of the house being disrespectful and go do whatever he wanted, however she told her daughter, Julie, that there were people coming over later tonight and she needed her to help clean the house. Another major example of gender roles that stood out to be was the constant showing of the woman having to take care of the

Over the past two decades, the impact of gender role stereotyping on our society has been examined in numerous studies. The purpose of these studies was to determine whether the sex bias portrayed in books, TV shows and social media is still as prevalent as in the past. Modern Family is one of the TV shows that clearly prove that, the roles played by males and females have changed in by the time. Modern Family show is about a family that tackles normal, everyday problems. The show features three combined families Jay and Gloria, Phil and Claire, Mitchell and Cameron and how different genders in each family act. Because of gender stereotype issues like gay marriage, house wives and large difference in age between married couples, this show focused on challenging these stereotypes and solving such conflict in our society.

has begun to form. When we meet a new person, we are instantly judging whether they are male

Gender roles, the public image of being a particular gender that a person presents to others (gender roles, n.d.), have seen many changes through the years, especially in families. The changes can be seen in many aspects, including television shows, from the traditional family in the I Love Lucy sitcom of the 1950s to the plethora of shows about women and men who balance working and family life of the 2000s. A traditional family can be defined as “… the ‘natural reproductive unit’ of mom, pop, and the children all living under one roof… (Ball, 2002).” The 1940s, a period dominated by this type of family, were primarily a time of single-income families where the father was the ‘breadwinner’ and the mother the ‘homemaker (Hayghe, H.V., 1990).’

Today we live in a world that continually stresses to us that, "All men are created equal." While this sounds great at face value, further inspection tells us that this is far from realistic and sadly may never be. One can examine any aspect of society whether it be race, religion, language, level of education, sexual orientation or economic status and notice that there are numerous characteristics and factors of identity that enable others to treat others differently. This truth may not be pleasant or make one feel all warm and fuzzy inside, however it is our society’s reality, however dismal it may be. Even if the statement above as to the equality of all men were true, how about women? Clearly women have made tremendous strides towards