The New Right also believe that they only encourage diversity in family types and therefore are bad for society. State policies and laws can be seen as assisting the family in things such as childcare therefore they are a good impact on family life. An example of this is the ‘working family tax credit’, which was developed to remove child poverty and focus benefits on children in need. Functionalists see this policy as a benefit to society, as it encourages families to form and helps parents with socialising and raising the next generation (financially). However, Marxists would disagree and say that this policy as it supports the working class mostly therefore encourages people to work at the benefit of capitalism.
Women were viewed as men’s property so they had to do whatever the husband wanted them to do. Also they did the entire domestic work and look after the children. These views affected their lives as they couldn’t do many things like sue their husband for adultery, for beating them and if they tried to run away they’d be captured by the police and bought back to the husband. The women had to look after children and the domestic work which people then thought that this was all they were good for so they didn’t give them a good education or a well paying job. Finally the men didn’t think much of women for doing things that they could.
When foreigners immigrate to the USA, it’s usually solely to make a better life for their family. Lastly, many complain that immigrants come over to the USA and take “our” jobs, but that is not true at all. Immigrants almost all the time take jobs that Americans don not want. Colonists immigrated to the United States voluntarily; they helped mold this country to be what it is today. Colonists put laws and rules into play to create the law and political system we have today.
Maid to Order: The Politics of Other Women’s Work Luis Erazo Laredo Community College The main focus for Barbara Ehrenreich was on building awareness about the problems associated with females working as maids. Ehrenreich reflects on the sixties and seventies to explain the roots of this issue; when housework was not seen as a job, even though it was supposed to be “the great equalizer of women”. Women were cooking meals, caring for children and doing all sorts of other tasks in order to allow men to focus on their job. Without a paycheck for their house duties, women were made to feel as though they had no real value for the family. Today’s problem stems from companies like Merry Maids that
According to Parsons, husbands are the breadwinners and the wife has the nurtring and caring role and that this is based on biological differences between the sexes, a view shared by the New Right. However, this can be criticised using Willmott and Young’s findings, which show that men are now doing the housework and women are going out to work. This shows that family roles are socially constructed and hence not fixed as our society is always changing. Feminists such as Anne Oakley have criticised Willmott and Young’s finding’s stating that they are methodically flawed. She found that only a small minority of men did a significant amount of housework and childcare.
Women are naturally more suited to take on the expressive role which involves socialisation of the children and meet the family's emotional needs. She is the homemaker rather than a wage earner. Where as men are naturally more suited to take on the instrumental role which is geared towards achieving success at work so that he can provide for the family financially. He is the breadwinner. Parsons claim that this division of labour is beneficial to both men and women.
Being week and vulnerable makes people uncomfortable so we use the mask as a shield to hide what we do not want other people to see. In American Beauty, Lester and Carolyn do not tell their neighbors and friends that they are having marital trouble because they do not want people to know. They hide their true selves behind their mask of a perfect, loving family. The Burnham’s have assumed this identity of normalcy that is maintained by Carolyn and Lester in the outside world, when at home they are not really normal and no longer a happy family. On the outside, the Burnham family appears to be your average American family.
Unapproved sexual behaviour can cause many problems in society, so this means of a family lets married adults enjoy a healthy sex life. This martial sex makes bond between couples not only stronger but increases the chances of fidelity. Thus regulates rules in society preventing crime such as rape to occur. Next is the educational point of view of the functions of which a family carries out. The next generations need to learn about their culture and to be taught about society’s norms, customs and values.
Since the husband’s role is to go out and provide a living for his family, the wives job is to look after the home. It may not be considered a public work, but her position within the home is still very vital and important. Her role is a non income producing activity, but ensures the success of the family. Another role for a Christian wife is the raising of her children. Titus 2: 3-5 states that, "Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored," (The Christian Woman", 2004).
Parents in India don't let their daughters get an education because they provide free labor at home for their families. Also won't learn to become a good housewife. It is common that girls in India are married of to have kids and take care of the house. So parents think staying home and teaching their daughters to be a good housewife is a better option. Once girls are married the husband is in charge.