Gender Roles In American Family Tv Research Assignment (Essay Sample)

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Gender roles in American Family TV
Gender roles are societal norms that dictate what is to be done by a certain gender. They are set by society to dictate the upper and lower limits of what is regarded as right and wrong for different genders. They control and limit the type of roles which can be done by either male or females. Across different cultures , gender roles are defined and upheld differently to ensure continuity of a community. In the first episode of the modern family, the main character, Jay Prittecht has two wives and two children. The episode is based on a suburban family which is living in Los Angeles. Jay Prichett’s daughter is married to Dunny and they have got three children whom they really adore (58) . The lawyer to jay’s son, Mitchell, is married to Cameroon TUCHER and they have adopted a daughter who has got Vietnam origin (69). The whole scenario is a representation of the current modern family. The episode develops on the basis of the situations which are being faced by many families in the real world. In the fifth episode of the Modern Family , the main theme is about family conflicts on basis of various issues. Different family members are separating from each other on the basis some unresolved issues in the family.
In the Modern Family episode, Jay Prichett acts as the sole breadwinner of the family. In some scenarios, he is featured carrying luggage’s containing various family belongings and gifts for children. He is also responsible for making most of the decisions in the family. For example, while deciding to marry his second wife, Jay does not consult anybody but makes his own decisions and continues to actualize them. After being married, Claire is left at home by her husband and acts as a homemaker. She cleans her home and takes care of children. Such roles portray the true image of a woman as expected by the society.
In most instances, Claire is seen within her home setup only doing indoor jobs. They range from cooking to cleaning dishes after every meal. Every evening, Claire welcomes her husband warmly and ensures she provides everything he wants (Andersen, Margaret78) .This character had been borrowed from her mother who had taught her to be subjective to men and always obey them. As a lady, Claire had no choice but to do everything to please her husband. Contrary to this, Jay is portrayed as a leader who is powerful and controls everything in the family. Rarely could anything happen without his concern. He was there to give guidelines and orders to what was to be done. He fully conformed to the status which the society had bestowed on him. Due his status , Jay was made the head of three families which were named after him.
In the contemporary society, men are always considered to be bread winners. They are leaders in the family matters and are supposed to be respected by everybody. Men make final decisions and they have the mandate to ensure the welfare of a family. This is clearly portrayed by JAY in the first episode of Modern Family. In the fifth episode, the role of male gender is further expounded as they are implied to be independent and troublemakers. This is clearly expressed by Luke Dunphy who is constantly shooting his sister with a toy gun. Males are also given a responsibility of maintaining security. They are considered to posses more power and strength and that why they are given the mandate of working as security officers.(James & Rosebm 89). In both episodes, women are portrayed as feeble creatures which have got little power in the presence of a man. Their main role is that of cooking and taking care of the family. This conforms to the society stereotype of women where they are considered to be home builders but not leaders or decision makers. In the modern family episode, Jayâ&eu...