Gender roles are assumed and there is a lack of communication amongst them. My mom has always taught me to help her maintain the household by cleaning and cooking for the rest of my family. I am the only daughter of a family of three children and have always had the responsibility of accommodating the men in my family. This has caused some resentment towards my brothers. Because the men leave family and home economics to the women, they assume the women will take care of it.
Not a man, of course. Back then men were viewed as superior because that’s all they were ever taught. “It takes a lot of dishes and a lot of washing up, for mum to build an athlete” (Fairy Liquid and the Olympics) this reinforces the idea that women do the household chores in service to the males of the house. The implication that housework is purely a woman’s work is completely unacceptable in today’s day and age where women are seen as strong and independent. 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.
The wives are obedient to their husbands but first and for most the wives are supposed to be faithful to God. The wife has a purse that is controlled by her husband who gives her money for house hold items and clothing as needed. Arguments among couples often go unnoticed or with silence. The Amish rarely divorce as they see no grounds for it. Family is considered the most important social component amid the Amish.
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.
This is particularly evident amongst the family, as each part of the household work together and contribute as a functional whole. In keeping with their traditional gender roles, the father is the ‘breadwinner’ and head of the household, while the wife is subservient to him and takes care of preparing for the family. This is supported by Velda Bontrager, an old-order Amish woman who explained, “We believe that the man is the head of the household...the woman is the weaker vessel and you should have as many children as you can,” (Devil’s Playground). Being the only child of a single mother, my reality is vastly different from an Amish woman’s. With almost the entirety of my extended family living in Melbourne, my mother has been the sole provider and carer for me.
This play represents the idealism of society in that era. It was a time where the men provided for the family and all women had to do were bearing children and raising them and they were treated like they had no brains. Women couldn’t think for themselves, the men were always controlling everything women did. The character, Torvald, was not an exception to the rule. He was very much concerned with appearances, which was very apparent throughout the play.
(3) A man was in constant control of a woman and she had to be dresses nicely, keep a clean and orderly home, and teachthe children, upholding finances as well as being there emotionally and physically. It wasn’t easy for a woman to live with no sort of control over her life, that of her offspring or how she felt, the turn of the century must have been an enlightened adjustment. (3) Women Past Lived Page 4 marriedyoung usually to some other family that had some sort of political status or looked good for her family. The girls on the cheap side of town were usually not married until their twenties for they where need to help out with the farm land and around the house. Women could not own Women Past Lived Page 5 Female’sslaves remained slaves forever and never had real security.
She took accountability and care for her family and was concerned both with how their family managed themselves as well as how they appeared to their neighbors and other peers. As the view of a successful household was changing, the woman's role became that of submission to the men around her. Linda was always working hard to keep the men around her happy and living in comfort. This trait was often seen with the women of this time. Biff and Willy often find it very challenging to get along, and most of the time we see Linda trying to resolve their differences.
Just the Way We Are Everyone thought that there are similar differences between males and females. Both genders are different through their social, emotional and intellectual qualities. Gender roles influence women and men in virtually every area of life including family and occupation, but are women and men subject to different roles or behavior expectations? Gender role by definition is,” the public image of being male or female that a person presents to others.” (Dictionary.com). 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.
The wife grew up in a very strict family with both her parents in the house. The husband’s parents were more relaxed and understanding of their children. This resulted in both partners have a very hands on but lenient approach to the parenting of their children. Both grandparents were not strict on their children’s career choices and allowed them to experiment in different fields and find their feet on their own in terms of a career