The television program Modern Family attempts to represent how contemporary North American families are structured and function by examining relationships amongst the extended Pritchett family. This family is elevated to the status of modern based on the diverse familial types which exist in this family. Jay Pritchett is married to the much younger Columbian (immigrant) Gloria, and they live together with her son, Manny. Jay is also the father to two adult children, Claire Dumphy and Mitchell Pritchett. Claire Jay’s daughter is married to Phil and together they have three children. Jay’s son, Mitchell and his partner Cameron have jointly adopted a daughter, Lily, from Vietnam. Although cumulatively this extended family appears modern,
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Although the gender ideologies represented within Modern Family can be attributed to those assigned the nuclear family, they closer reflect the characterizations Smith (1993) defines as belonging to the Standard North American Family (SNAF). SNAF delineates between the providers or breadwinners as inhabiting the public sphere in order to acquire the economic resources to support and sustain the family. The family itself is cared for within the private sphere of the home and is nurtured and provided for based on the mother of the …show more content…
Phil is also the ‘breadwinner’ in his household, however he appears to take an active interest in and involvement with his children. Mitchell and Cameron are unique in that their family exists based on their partnership; they are seen legally not as spouses but as partners, adopting binary gender roles as required. Mitchell appears to portray the more masculine role in the relationship by being the sole “breadwinner” or economically, more specifically how he appears emotionally detached than Cameron, as well as refusing public displays of affection, similar to his father. Cameron by way of assuming the primary caregiver role for their adopted daughter, appear to have taken on the more feminine (wife) role (based on the heterogenic ideals of the nuclear family). Both however, are unique as they also exhibit stereotypical and somewhat bias behaviours often attributed to gay
Although the gender ideologies represented within Modern Family can be attributed to those assigned the nuclear family, they closer reflect the characterizations Smith (1993) defines as belonging to the Standard North American Family (SNAF). SNAF delineates between the providers or breadwinners as inhabiting the public sphere in order to acquire the economic resources to support and sustain the family. The family itself is cared for within the private sphere of the home and is nurtured and provided for based on the mother of the …show more content…
Phil is also the ‘breadwinner’ in his household, however he appears to take an active interest in and involvement with his children. Mitchell and Cameron are unique in that their family exists based on their partnership; they are seen legally not as spouses but as partners, adopting binary gender roles as required. Mitchell appears to portray the more masculine role in the relationship by being the sole “breadwinner” or economically, more specifically how he appears emotionally detached than Cameron, as well as refusing public displays of affection, similar to his father. Cameron by way of assuming the primary caregiver role for their adopted daughter, appear to have taken on the more feminine (wife) role (based on the heterogenic ideals of the nuclear family). Both however, are unique as they also exhibit stereotypical and somewhat bias behaviours often attributed to gay