October 30 th Sign in and deposit cards Pass back papers Homework #4 Lecture 7: Gendered Family...

October 30th

Sign in and deposit cards Pass back papers Homework #4 Lecture 7: Gendered Family Homework:

“Queer Parenting in the New Millennium” by Nancy Naples (CR)

Homework #4

Bodies and Sexual Politics

The physical body is linked to power in our society We often view men as ‘more’ powerful because of their

physical strength The biological characteristics of those in power are valued

above those with less power

Several contexts in society in which those in power use women’s bodies to: Exclude them Justify inequality

Lecture 7

The Gendered Family

Gender & the Modern Family

Family is where we spend most of our lives Socialized in cultural ides, roles, relationships

The form that family takes is in direct relation to other institutions in society: Economy Religion Government

Industrialization and the Family Industrialization created one of the biggest

shifts in gender relations and family life Separation of work inside/outside home Requires both paid and unpaid labor

Modern marriage and the nuclear family creates a dual status system within the family and society Nuclear Family: Parents (M/F) residing with the

children

Gender Ideology, Family, and Work Separate Spheres Ideology

Public sphere: Masculine Work, Political Life, Community/Civic Life

Private sphere: Feminine Home, Childrearing, Love

Women/Private Men/Public

Cult of Domesticity

Naturalization of male/female roles regulated through family life Complimentary roles

Emotional Life within the family Wife/husband bond Mother/ child link

Femininization of domestic labor Connected to ideas of female love

“Family-wage” economic system Our economic system is founded on the idea that

one person should be able to support a family Women and children as dependents Swap paid labor for unpaid labor in the home

“Family wage” means: High salary/ minimum wage Benefits Social security and retirement

His and Her Family

Dichotomization of morality for men and women in family life

1. Men are encouraged to focus on self-interest for the family

2. Women are encouraged to focus on self-sacrifice for the good of the family

The Good Wife Guide

What effect do these gender ideologies have on the way that men and women experience both the public sphere (work, politics, etc) and private sphere (family life, parenting, marriage)?

1: Household Labor

Household labor becomes invisible in the economy Largest productive sector in the modern economy

It also is undervalued “unoccupied” in the national accounting system

Mom’s market value = $35k more than the wages of the average working man

No retirement, unemployment, health benefits, nor individual social security

The Second Shift (1989)

In two paycheck households women do more household work than their husbands 7 ½ hours per week

‘Male’ and ‘female’ household chores differ Women = high stress, immediate need Men = low stress, limited need

Men develop strategies of resistance “Waiting it Out” “Playing it Dumb”

And Today…He’s Happier, She’s Less So Since the 1960s:

men have gradually cut back on activities they find unpleasant and now work less and relax more

women have replaced housework with paid work and are spending almost as much time doing things they don’t enjoy as in the past

As women entered the workforce, they now have a much longer to-do list than they once did

2. Male Pattern of Work

The most rewarded careers in our society (prestige and $) are generally based on the assumption that: Time commitment while young long hours flexibility in your schedule and limited household responsibility

Imagine what is takes to become a: Medical doctor Lawyer

President of HarvardFewer Tenured Women in the Sciences…

“And the relatively few women who are in the highest ranking places are disproportionately either unmarried or without children…[T]here are many professions and many activities, and the most prestigious activities in our society expect of people who are going to rise to leadership positions in their forties near total commitments to their work. They expect a large number of hours in the office, they expect a flexibility of schedules to respond to contingency, they expect a continuity of effort through the life cycle, and they expect-and this is harder to measure-but they expect that the mind is always working on the problems that are in the job, even when the job is not taking place. And it is a fact about our society that that is a level of commitment that a much higher fraction of married men have been historically prepared to make than of married women.”

3: Occupation Segregation In the workforce jobs often reflect the

gendered roles of the family

Men’s jobs: High wages Full time Correlation with authority, power, and skill

Women’s jobs: Lower wages Correlation with domestic responsibilities

Occupational Segregation “Female” and “Male” professions: In 2003 women

were 96% of secretaries 91% of nurses 95% of child care workers 99% of dental hygienists and 97% of kindergarten and preschool teachers

But also, 30% physicians, 14% architects, 27% lawyers

Why do we see women entering men’s professions, but not the other way around?

Are things changing?

How do young men and women today view family and their careers?

Have you thought about how you will balance career and family life? How?

Men and Women in Marriage

According to “What Shamu Taught Me About a Happy Marriage”:

What is the role of a husband relative to the marriage? Role of the wife?

How should a wife interact with her husband?

How should a husband interact with his wife?