Family, a social institution, is traditionally defined in the Western world as a husband, wife and children. However, over time these ideals have changed. The definition of family is no longer restricted to the same preconceived ideas; pets have been considered an addition to a family, and in our generation, same-sex marriage has become more prevalent than it has ever been. Additionally, more married couples are getting divorces and there are more single-parents than there are traditional families. Functionalism, created by Emile Durkheim, is defined as interrelated parts of society working as a whole to maintain stability. Family is one of of the parts that is stressed as a necessity for society must meet its basic needs in order to survive.
…show more content…
According the symbolic interactionists, marriage impacts gender roles, housework and child care. Every individual is expected fulfill and behave in a specific gender role. Women’s work used to include childcare and house duties, while men are the individuals who actually had a paying job. Cultural ideas eventually shifted as it became more accepted for women to have careers and make an income. Paid labor, housework and care of children became responsibilities for both women and men. However, the roles of husband and wife are defined different across different cultures. For example in India, strictly only women would wash the clothes, but in America, that could be the role of either gender. One of the most significant changes in U.S. families is the number of wives who have shifted toward paid work over housework. Men have inversely shifted from doing less paid work to more house work. The gendered division of labor has shifted from men earning the income and women primarily taking care of the children to women spending more time earning the family income and the husbands spending more time with childcare and housework. Notably, housework in generated has nominally dropped in generally as we see many families supported by a dual-income rather than a single paternal income. This does not mean that homes are now messier; the evolution of technology, like a washer machine and a dryer, has cut the time needed to finish household chores. With the reduction of housework, issues such as McDonaldization has become a problem because many families spend less time preparing meal and use fast food as alternatives. Both husband and wives are seen spending more time with their children by cutting down visits with other relatives and
According the symbolic interactionists, marriage impacts gender roles, housework and child care. Every individual is expected fulfill and behave in a specific gender role. Women’s work used to include childcare and house duties, while men are the individuals who actually had a paying job. Cultural ideas eventually shifted as it became more accepted for women to have careers and make an income. Paid labor, housework and care of children became responsibilities for both women and men. However, the roles of husband and wife are defined different across different cultures. For example in India, strictly only women would wash the clothes, but in America, that could be the role of either gender. One of the most significant changes in U.S. families is the number of wives who have shifted toward paid work over housework. Men have inversely shifted from doing less paid work to more house work. The gendered division of labor has shifted from men earning the income and women primarily taking care of the children to women spending more time earning the family income and the husbands spending more time with childcare and housework. Notably, housework in generated has nominally dropped in generally as we see many families supported by a dual-income rather than a single paternal income. This does not mean that homes are now messier; the evolution of technology, like a washer machine and a dryer, has cut the time needed to finish household chores. With the reduction of housework, issues such as McDonaldization has become a problem because many families spend less time preparing meal and use fast food as alternatives. Both husband and wives are seen spending more time with their children by cutting down visits with other relatives and