Over the past half-century, American society has undergone a palpable shift in a number of institutional arenas. In addition to the development of the country’s economic landscape through the market, expedited by factors such as new modes of production and urbanization, the restructuring of the family has been just as profound. With this familial restructuring came changes and some continuity in a number of dimensions, including family structure and composition, gender roles, and values and norms. These transformations are especially apparent in the television shows Father Knows Best, Empty Nest, and Modern Family. These three shows depict the social context and archetypical family structure in their respective time periods, ranging from the 1960s to the
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Father Knows Best is an exemplary model of the separate spheres cultural doctrine, “under which women were to work at home, to make it a sanctuary from the industrial world in which their husbands worked for pay” (Cohen 2015). Margaret could be considered the “manager” of the Anderson home, with an enhanced “influence over the children and household” (Cohen 2015). Women’s home-based work was both devalued and put on a pedestal by male partners during this time- perpetuating the idea of the “Cult of True Womanhood” (Hagan 2015). Jim, the stereotypical wholesome and partially engaged good-provider, was responsible for being the sole breadwinner of the home. This relationship also reflected “monogamous morality,” in which a woman was required to remain faithful to their husbands, regardless of his transgressions, in exchange for his economic support for both herself and her children. The double standard of fidelity, exacerbated by the pressures of maintaining a certain lifestyle provided by a “breadwinner” husband, rendered women entirely dependent on their spouse’s
Father Knows Best is an exemplary model of the separate spheres cultural doctrine, “under which women were to work at home, to make it a sanctuary from the industrial world in which their husbands worked for pay” (Cohen 2015). Margaret could be considered the “manager” of the Anderson home, with an enhanced “influence over the children and household” (Cohen 2015). Women’s home-based work was both devalued and put on a pedestal by male partners during this time- perpetuating the idea of the “Cult of True Womanhood” (Hagan 2015). Jim, the stereotypical wholesome and partially engaged good-provider, was responsible for being the sole breadwinner of the home. This relationship also reflected “monogamous morality,” in which a woman was required to remain faithful to their husbands, regardless of his transgressions, in exchange for his economic support for both herself and her children. The double standard of fidelity, exacerbated by the pressures of maintaining a certain lifestyle provided by a “breadwinner” husband, rendered women entirely dependent on their spouse’s