Parsons said that these roles made things ‘nice and functional’. He also said that men and women were biologically suited to these roles so it was only natural for men to be the breadwinners and women are the stay at home wives. This is a very traditional view. There are many factors affecting power relationships and the division of labour between couples. Firstly, whether a family live in a symmetrical family or not will have an effect on the divisions of labour.
The unequal distribution of domestic responsibilities has held women back for generations; it still today continues to hinder women’s progression in the work-place. It seems like everyone thinks mum will stay at home and do the dishes, her little boy will grow up to become a big, strong man but not her daughter, of course, she is far too busy washing her own children’s dishes. But it is not just women who suffer sexism, men do also. For example: Shelia’s Wheels sell cheaper car insurance to women only, and they say it's because statistics show women to be safer drivers. Would it would be fair for a bank to offer men better rates on loans if stats showed that men were better at paying back loans than women were, utterly ludicrous.
She was motivated by him to go to school and study to become a biologist. She later on decided that she would become an invertebrate biologist and this was because of the death of a water boat man that died as a result of pollution. Due to the death of Kate’s parents, Kate had issues with her relationship with Daniel; she could not attach herself to him because she was afraid he would disappear. She valued privacy and didn’t like discussing family issues with other people including Daniel, she couldn’t trust him and she didn’t emote with him. Kate also believed that education was the key to success in life, she valued learning and this was because of Matt’s influence on her.
When the main character learns to overcome this fear, she is able to exercise power over her life. The main character has no real control over her life until she realizes that her husband did not care about her or his son. Once she can overcome her fear of swimming in murky water, she is also able to take control of her life and do what is actually best for her, instead of what she is convinced to do by other people. Throughout the story, the main character is treated like a possession to her husband and is not able to take control until she saves her step son and has the courage to divorce her husband. She still losses many things in her life, including her step son, whom she had a strong relationship with.
Alice's parents tell her who she is permitted to see. They also instruct her how to dress, and of course how not to. It is through experiences such as Alice's younger sister falling off the bed, under her watch, that Alice's parents have a crucial influence on her self-discovery. Specifically, Alice's relatives influence her self-discovery journey by not being supportive. As Alice had to grow up basically looking after her self and her younger siblings she learned that even if you do not have support you still need to follow your dreams and live you life.
He argues that men are the ‘breadwinners’ and play an instrumental role in providing for the family. Women on the other hand play an expressive role in the family, dealing with the emotional care and looking after the husband and children. Parsons argued that this division in the family is based upon the biological differences of men and women. He argues that men are more physically suited to going out to work, dealing with the effects from a capitalist society and coming home to be cared for by the woman. The woman in the family, Parsons argues, is much more naturally suited to nurturing the family and providing emotional care.
Berniece is blunt about accepting that her life is hard, but she only wants what is best for her daughter. But in order for that to happen, she needs to teach Maretha to reach for better things in life. After her husband died, a local man named Avery has been trying to pursue Berniece, but Berniece feels she is independent and doesn’t need a man. “You trying to tell me a woman can’t be nothing without a man.
To this day women are still expected to keep the house up and in order, take care of the family, and have a job and provide for the family. Women who are beat are so scared of their spouse that they cannot speak out against them. Most men threaten the life of the mother’s kids or their wife’s own life if they seek out for help. Women in the world today are better about asking for help then women back then. Women who are beat in a relationship need to know they are one of many they are not alone.
Although he may not understand what happened in his past, he feels he is chained to it and that his life is already set for him. Throughout the story The Misfit behaves in ways that show he doesn’t want to live the life he has, but he feels obligated to fill in the gaps that his past has created. The Misfit is very similar to the father in a short called “The Boat”. The father works extremely hard on a boat in the harbor to support his family. He has a son that helps him, daughters that help around the house and a very old-fashioned wife that disapproves of many things that make him happy.
Housework was a very important task and women were supposed to take great joy in it. Upper and middle class girls were taught from a young age the skills they would need in order to keep a happy, healthy, peaceful home. While the outside world and working force were definitively male, the home was considered to be a feminine place. The outside world was evil and full of sin and wrongdoing, but the home was a moral haven (MacKethan). Husbands went to work in the corrupt world of industry, so they were meant to come home, decompress, and once again become attuned with their compassionate side.