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.
Functionalist Murdock suggested as children we are socialised into societies shared norms and values and he believed that males provide the economic roles and females provided the expressive role. Therefore it is natural for women to play the expressive role in the household looking after the family’s emotional needs. However, radical feminist Ann Oakley argues that the role of the housewife is a social construction and isn’t linked to the female role. The housewife role makes sure that women stay inferior to men making it difficult for them have careers. Women carry out the triple burden in the household; the domestic labour, emotional labour, and paid labour.
Han China and Imperial Rome Han China (206 B.C.E – 220 C.E) and Imperial Rome (31 B.C.E – 476 C.E) were the two premier and powerful civilizations of their time. As the two great civilizations of their time, Imperial Rome and Han China shared many similarities such as their powerful military machines and the advanced architecture they utilized to support their society. They had just as many differences however in how the government was structured and how they each viewed religion. One aspect of Han China and Imperial Rome were we can see a stark contrast between the two civilizations in in the government. Although Han China and Imperial Rome's method of political control was alike in their use of a centralized government, they were different in the sense of the roles of citizens in the government and the techniques for keeping the lower classes happy.
Han China and Imperial Rome were more advanced than any other empire because they built roads that helped the trade, and become more successful. Another similarity these classical empires shared is that they both controlled a large portion of the world because they were the most advanced. Lastly, women in Han China and Imperial Rome had no power. They weren’t allowed to make political decisions because they had no power and they were supposed to stay home and do household chores. Although the Han Dynasty and the Roman Empire were similar, they also had differences.
Throughout The Odyssey, written by Homer, the treatment of women plays a key role in the overall outcome of the story and is a central issue presented in this poem. In many scenarios it is evident that men are treated with superiority to women. During the era that this story was written, men played the dominant role. Society was organized, directed, and controlled by men, and it was accepted that women occupied a subservient and inferior position. Questia states, “Despite their vital role in Ancient Greek and Roman society, women were not considered full citizens and in most instances required a guardian – their fathers, and later husbands – to represent them” (“Women in Ancient Greece and Rome”).
In early American culture it was common for a women’s job to be an obedient housewife in clear contrast to the male’s duty to be a job holder. From the time of birth males and females are beginning to learn their gender roles. Society begins teaching them certain values and creating in them certain behavior patterns acceptable to their social roles. These roles have been in the American society ever since the European colonized in America in 1492. Now-a-days men and women can be seen as having expanded their roles in society, with women entering male roles and men finding new ways to relate to and function in the family house.
A04 – Masculinity in the context of 1950’s America and the context of 2010’s America: 1. 1950’s America: Men were portrayed as the “traditional breadwinners” whereas women the “traditional housewives”. Masculinity was highlighted due to social class, honor, intelligence, respect and emotional stability. Men within society particularly got their own ways and dominated women, as they saw they had to follow the social norm of masculinity to be accepted in society. Men were seen as aggressive and strong in order to have qualities regarding a “typical man”.
For example, in the Greek ancient city of Sparta, the ideal masculinity was strictly associated with the characteristics of being physically powerful and loyal warrior while femininity was related to marriage and procreation. In the High Middle Ages, France’s social structure deemed that a noble masculine role could include becoming either a member of the church or a knight whereas a noble female’s role primarily focused on learning a different set of domestic skills. By the sixteenth through the nineteenth centuries, social norms began to associate masculinity with professional skills and education while women were limited in these areas, based upon gender. Throughout history, the masculine and feminine roles and expectations in Europe were continually being redefined because of historical circumstance in Europe. GENDER: SPARTA Masculinity as an ideal in the Greek ancient city of Sparta was exclusively based upon boys growing up to be strong, obedient, and loyal warriors because Sparta was a warrior society.
* In many of the Muslim countries, it is not only the woman who have barely any rights, but also the men are treated the same. It is not the religion to which treats women unfairly , but it is the government oppression of men. * People are under the idea that Islam teachings do encourage the oppression of woman, but in fact the teachings of Muhammad enforce men to respect the rights of women. * The Qur’an states ‘woman shall have rights similar to those of men’. But in the west this statement is misinterpreted which shows specific issues and differences.
Compare the political organization of the Mayan and Taino In order for any society to be successful, the political system must be one in which order and efficiency are maintained, this is true for the different groups of indigenous peoples who were able to maintain organized political systems. Different groups organized their political systems in various ways, but some similarities were always common.The Mayan and Taino shared a structural political system, but the Mayans were more organized due to the greater emphasis placed on bureaucracy. Ascension to throne was set in both societies so as to eliminate the chance of any chaos being initiated. The eldest son of the Halach Uinic and the Cacique would rule after the death of their father. In the case of the Tainos, if the Cacique did not have an heir, the eldest son of his eldest sister would rule, where no male was available for the position, female ruler ship obtained.