Family structure & gender roles
DIRECTIONS: Read the information below and fill in the handout "DIY #7:Family Structure & Gender Roles". Be sure to follow any additional directions given here on the website.
Family Structure
Yet another aspect of culture is family structure. In some societies, nuclear families are parents who live with just their young children. After the children have grown up, they live on their own and begin their own families. In other cultures, parents, children, and grandparents remain together in what is called extended families under the same roof for their entire lives.
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Gender roles
Gender roles are the norms and standards men and women are each expected to fulfill in a society. In the past, most gender roles were very restrictive. Greater opportunities for improvement and advancement were given to men, who worked and appeared in public while women were expected to take care of the children and perform household chores.
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This began to change in the early 20th century, when women in America and several European nations gained the right to vote. In most modern societies today, men and women enjoy equal rights. Women can become doctors, lawyers, and teachers, while more men are taking stronger active roles in raising children. Even in these advanced societies, women are still under-represented in top jobs in government, business, and technology and in many cases, still do not earn the same pay as men do.
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Patriarchal societies are social systems in which males hold the power in society. This can include dominance in politics, social privileges, and control of property. In the family unit, the male head makes all major decisions regarding the home life, and he holds authority over his wife and children. When the male figure dies, his property will be transferred to his male children first, then divided among his wife and female children. Throughout history, male dominance was preferred across many different cultures.
Matriarchal societies are social systems that are led by females while largely excluding men from major decision-making. Unlike patriarchal societies, there are no known social systems on Earth that are exclusively matriarchal, however, there are many societies in which a woman's opinion or decision is sought and followed. Many societies that are or were matriarchal include some Native American tribes and many currently existing ethnic groups in Southeast Asia, Pacific Islanders, and African tribes.
Traditional gender roles
In other cultures, even today, many women still lack the same opportunities as men. Women may be required to stay at home or wear special clothing. In some conservative Islamic countries, for example, women must cover their face and body when they are out in public. Sometimes, they cannot even drive cars. Wives might even be required to ask their husbands for permission before leaving the home.
Even in these societies, women are now striving for greater roles in government, business, and other professions. For example, several countries in which Muslims comprise a majority have recently been led by women. Almost one-third of Egypt's Parliament is now made up of women. Throughout the world, slowly but surely, women are making progress towards achieving full equality with men.