AMERICAN’S BELIEFS ON GENDER ROLES AND SEXUALITY TOWARDS SHAPING THE FAMILY LIFE
Family life is the routine dealings and doings that a family participates in together. An example of upright family life is when members of a given family come together and spend much of their essential time working together. Currently, life has changed much. With the changes in cultural life, new communication forms, and advancements in technology, family life isn’t precisely what used to be some years ago. It is changed. Several factors have influenced the current family life for it to be as it is. Top of the elements is the people’s beliefs about gender roles and the issue of sexuality on family life. Today, American family life has changed. Still, the change is in motion. Thus, it means more changes are to anticipate. Beliefs such as religious ones appear to encourage families to live in a warmly and interactive style that some time call for shared gender roles irrespective of one’s beliefs. On the other side, traditional ideas have their influence on family life with their varied specifications on what role should each gender play in a family. Sexuality also has its effects on the family, especially with the rise of both single-sex and heterosexual marriage partners.
As we grow, we experience a lot from the people around us. During the socialization process, kids get introduced to specific roles that typically link them to their genetic sex. Here, gender roles refer to a community’s view and concept of how each gender, male or female, should act towards something. Norms and standards are the primary basis of these roles. For instance, according to Canadian culture, femininity is associated with subordination, passivity, and nurturing. On the other hand, strength, dominance, and aggression associate the masculinity roles. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
In the United State of America, family duties are mostly based on gender, while knotted on belief- the traditional, religious ideas and possibly the modern theory. (Bengstone et al. 469-504). For a long time, heterosexual marriage roles are evident in American, both women, and men. Both men and women are associated with specific functions depending on the personality traits associated with those duties. According to American traditions, the part of a wage earner is related to a man while that of a homemaker is related to women. In the Victorian period time, gender roles became more defined than another period in American History. Earlier, it was so usual for a woman to work alongside man. Women were to work on businesses that will not restrict them from performing their domestic chores. Later in the19th century, men embarked more on factory work, whereas women and young girls would be left working at home.
Today Americans life is changing. Current practices and views about the family are essential things toward the change. It is today evidence that families made of two parents are on the decline. That is as a result of the increased divorces, cohabitation, and many remarriages on the rise come each day. Families are becoming smaller due to a decline in fertility and also the rising of the single parenthood household. Also, are the situations surrounding parenthood much changed. (Osborne et al., 221-239). Traditionally, women will bear children when already in marriage, but today things have changed. Today that four births out of 10 occur by women outside those single or are solely living without a marital partner. As a result, family structures have changed, and duties changed too. The situation is evident where mothers are the family’s breadwinners with roles at homes and the workplace.
Therefore, the results are now the rise of varied family forms. No family form is dominating in the US. Many parents are now raising children on diverse families that are constantly evolving. It is unlike the earlier years, like in the 1960s where children grew in families composed of both parents. So many children are living in families made of varied arrangements. (Settersten et al., 19-41) That reveals where some children are living with parents that both are in their first marriage. Others are living with parents who earlier at least one was engaged in another marriage. Other children are living with parents who are cohabiting. Other children are living without their parents and raised by their grandparents.
The above scenario affects the current family life in many ways. It is as a result of the modern practices and beliefs that are affecting the family life today. Today the view on gender roles has changed due to the rise of new family structure as in different communities. (Blunsdon, 147-174). For instance, in a single-parent family, primarily made up of only a woman, all duties belong to the woman. She has to attend to household chores as well as provide for the family as the breadwinner. It is unlike the situation where women will stay at home and attend the household chores while the man is out to look for money.
In the case where both man and the woman are both working, the view about gender roles changes. Mostly the two have to help each other depending on their arrangements and agreement. So it is not the woman wholly carrying the household chores, and at the same time, it is not the man who is the sole breadwinner to the family. This situation is evident today as many women as men are working. That has been influenced by education as after education people for jobs. The jobs later have their effects on family roles. In most cases, family life has changed to better due to uniformed sharing of family roles. Sharing of duties in a way that each can attend to any call has made many more families experience stability and happiness.
Human sexuality has also influenced family life in America. First, sexuality is the sexual interest human have towards others. Sexuality appears in many ways, which may include beliefs, roles, practices, attitudes, fantasies, values, desires, behaviours, and relationships. These reveal themselves through emotional, physical, biological, and socio-cultural ways, all who depend on an individual’s culture on sexuality. It is a thing to note that each society has its way of interpreting sexuality as well as sexual activities. Rules and norms of behaviour govern this. Standards dictate the practices that should be considered acceptable in society. Different cultures have different models, including their perceptions of sexuality. Due to different rules, communities have also their understanding and interpretation of sexual behaviours such as homosexuality, premarital sex, etc. Also, to note is that the view about sexuality is changing come each day. (Moore et al., 507). For instance, societies that value practices, such as monogamy, will be opposed to extramarital sex.
While the US places itself as the nation of the free, the country restricts premarital sex. According to Americans, participating in premarital sex is wrong. US’s culture is much restrictive when it comes to the issue of sexuality on women. In America, it is a belief that males are more sexual than women. More also, there is the idea men have higher urges for sex than she genders. That creates a double standard. Sex education is also crucial in shaping young school learners in matters of sexuality. The message passed to children about sex and sexuality plays a significant role in how they grow sexually and how they express themselves on sexuality. The media and peers also play a vital role in passing sexual information.
All these mean shape their views on acceptable and acceptable, not behaviours toward sexuality. Therefore, the beliefs on sexuality affect the family of the people, and in this case, the Americans. They believe that men are more sexual than women may lead to extramarital engagements. Also, the belief that women are less sexual may contribute to women opposing extramarital or other ill sexual behaviours. Children are also likely to practice in marriage what they learned sex and sexuality while young. That will influence on their family life.
In conclusion, belief in gender roles and sexuality has a lot of influence on family life. Traditional ideas have their impact on family life as well as the new practices that are emerging within the society. Today, it is increasingly becoming hard to stick on the old family styles as modernity has come with its demands on family roles and the view of sexuality. For instance, due to modern education, many women acquiring it ends up in places for jobs. Therefore, they can no more stick traditions that required them to hold home and perform households only. The modern education moulds them as both breadwinners as well as good to play household roles. Too in the contemporary family, individuals have the right to chose the type of marriages they prefer, heterosexual or single-sex ones. Different peoples, notably the v Americans, have their view towards sexuality changed. People are viewing it differently in modern society.
Work Cited
Blunsdon, Betsy, and Nicola McNeil. “Personal communities and lifestyle: the role of family, friends, and neighbours.” Ways of Living. Palgrave Macmillan, London, 2010. 147-174.
Settersten Jr, Richard A., and Barbara Ray. “What’s going on with young people today? The long and twisting path to adulthood.” The future of children (2010): 19-41.
Moore, Mignon R., and Michael Stambolis-Ruhstorfer. “LGBT sexuality and families at the start of the twenty-first century.” Annual Review of Sociology 39 (2013): 491-5
Osborne, Cynthia, and Nora Ankrum. “Understanding today’s changing families.” Family Court Review 53.2 (2015): 221-232.
Bengtson, Vern L., and Katherine R. Allen. “The life course perspective applied to families over time.” Sourcebook of family theories and methods. Springer, Boston, MA, 2009. 469-504.