Argues that the need to reproduce
requires men to be more promiscuous-
'spreading the seed'.
Women on the other hand, need to nurture one
child and stay faithful to the farther of their child
to ensure his help in its upbringing.
The Functionalist view Parsons (1955)
Females have an 'expensive role' in the family. This is
natural and based on their childbearing role but is
reinforced by socialisation
Males have an 'instrumental role' in the
family that of a breadwinner and
protector. This is also natural, based on
physical strength but also reinforced
through socialisation.
Feminist
Argue that gender identity is socially
constructed by patriarchal society. They
mean that male dominated society
creates and reinforces stereotypes of how
male and females should be.
Not only family that contributes to the social
construction of gender. The other agencies of
socialisation may also reinforce stereotypical
expectations of gender roles
Hey (1997
Studied friendship groups among
teenage girls and looked at the power
the female peer group has over girls behaviour.
How the norms of the female peer group
are deeply rooted in patriarchy and
expectations of how girls should be
Mead (1935)
Studied was male and female
behaviour and gender role
expectations in different tribes.
These were very different from the
gender role expectations in the US
at the time.
For example, the Arapesh
tribe, both males and females
were gentle and cooperative.
In contrast both genders in
the Mundugumor tribe were
violet and aggressive.
Tchambuli (Chambri) where males
and females were different from
each other, but roles were almost
the opposite of those expected in
the US and the UK
The women were dominant and aggressive
and not much involved in
childrearing,whereas the men were timid,
emotionally dependent and spent their time
decorating themselves. Aggressive men were
considered 'abormal'