Abstract This paper argues that the economy favors men as the main breadwinners. It explains that the problems of female heads of households have their origins in the economics of the nation, favoring full-time work and rewarding males disproportionately for the same labor. The paper points out that this initial imbalance is intensified by the social welfare system, cut once (and likely again) in the recent past by a Republican administration that, by its actions, would rather punish female heads of households than help them, no matter what effect it might have on them or their offspring.
From the Paper "The huge numbers of Baby Boomers has worked to intensify the effect, making competition for scarce jobs and benefits more intense than for any previous generation, at the same time increasing the amount that generation pays in taxes to keep Social Security payments to its parents-voted into being by those parents-going up. While all this is problematical for female heads of household, it is even more dire for African American female heads of households, with a new problem-the recently recognized 'marriage gap'-to add to the difficulties. Any solution would need to be two-fold: societal and political. While it is true that one cannot legislate attitudes, one can legislate policies and programs. Making those more 'female head of household friendly' would at least begin to solve half of the problems faced by that population group."
Abstract The paper discusses how Deborah Sampson Gannet impersonated a man for the purpose of serving in the colonial army and liberating her country from the British. The paper describes Sampson's wartime bravery and subsequent peacetime role of partial breadwinner for her impoverished household. The paper asserts that her story is important to retell today, in honor of her gender and her service to her country.
From the Paper "Deborah Sampson Gannett is the first American woman known to have impersonated a man for the purpose of serving in the colonial army during the American Revolutionary War. The contributions of female figures such as Deborah Sampson Gannett have often remained ignored or unrecognized in contemporary accounts of colonial history, despite their major contributions to the early struggle for freedom, equality, and justice (Henrietta, 1997). Sampson did not lead soldiers to victory in a major battle like Joan of Arc. But feminists claim Sampson's life as important and worthy of study for what her example reveals about the age in which she lived, and because of her fearless determination."
Tags: colonial, army, war, soldier, breadwinner, gender
Abstract A paper about the story of "Metamorphosis" by Frank Kafka. The breadwinner of the family becomes the unwanted, the abominable, and the unforgivable member of the family through the process of metamorphosis into a bug, a cockroach, or insect.
Abstract This paper discusses the different ways in which men and women view money, each other's income, and how it relates to their contribution to the marriage and their own self-worth. It uses several statistics and studies to show how men and women are socialized about money, what their views on it really are, and how these ideas about money and gender roles are changing in modern relationships. The paper offers practical advice on what money issues couples should discuss before getting married.
From the Paper "Money is tied to deep-seated emotions, often reaching back into our past. It is a symbol of personal value, power, authority, self-worth, and independence. Most people spend a great deal of their time chasing after it, working for it, and worrying about it. Money has the potential to immensely increase one's quality of life, and yet it is frequently one of the sorest points in relationships, whether it is parent/child, friend/friend, or, in this case, husband and wife. Adding to the frustrations is that men and women often have different ideas on what money means and therefore misunderstand each others money behaviors. This is an increasingly important issue in modern relationships when more and more households are dual-income. Studies show that before the wedding, couples are more likely to openly discuss their feelings about sex than money, but that in the marriage, money is usually the number one argument (Allen, 2003; The Money Side of Marriage, 1985). In most social situations, money is still a taboo topic (Men, Women, and Money, 1999)."
Abstract The writer explains how ideas about marriage have drastically changed in this century and consequently the concept of divorce. The writer portrays the traditional family with the father a breadwinner, the mother a housewife and nurtured children and shows how society now questions the roles in families, with the result that divorces have become increasingly common. The writer shows how the stigma of divorce has been taken away and how therefore it has become much more accepted in society.
From the Paper "This report looks at the subject of marriage and divorce from several perspectives, and advances the argument that divorce has become a much more common occurrence in society than it used to be, due to the fact that divorce has gone from something that used to be considered aberrant and looked down upon by society, to something that has become considered normal and looked upon as normal by society, since it is so common in the present. In fact there is now a whole industry that is devoted to divorce, including lawyers, therapists, and self-help authors, and in a way, this industry sustains the normalization of divorce in society. People are more likely to get a divorce today than they were in the past because there is no longer a specific focus on the shame of divorce, and more of a focus on the so called positive aspects of it. "The normalization of divorce has brought us a long way from the stigma that accompanied divorce up until the 1960s. No longer is being divorced a deviant status, or an indication of pathology. Non-pathological therapeutic models of divorce now predominate, requiring management of sentiments and resources, rather than professional application of therapeutic practices to families in need to prevent divorce" (Varnis, 1997). Although the media image of the nuclear family still has its advocates, increasing divorce rates and changing patterns in the mass-media presentation of families as being effectively non-traditional (and the continued presence of their real-life counterparts) have made the modern family more open to gender-role malleability and extension to second-generation and blended-family
patterns, along with the acceptance of divorce as something normalized in society, as mentioned above. "While there may have been fewer divorces in the 1950s than today, there were undoubtedly many more unhappily married people" (Talbot, 1997). Couples today feel more free in both their gender roles and their attitudes towards a lifelong commitment that may not account for the fact that people change and may become irreconcilable. "
Abstract This paper takes a look at Franz Kafka's novel, 'The Metamorphosis'. The paper focuses on the transformation of the character, Gregor Samsa and his family. According to the paper, on the surface it seems like there are massive changes happening all over, but upon closer inspection it seems as if the transformations are less outright changes and more of an emergence of the characters' truer selves.
From the Paper "His going back to work is made all the more noble because of the unfortunate circumstances under which he must return. This necessity, though initially viewed as a burden, "His father clenched his fist with a hostile expression, as if he wished to push Gregor back into his room, then looked uncertainly around the living room, covered his eyes with his hands, and cried so that his mighty breast shook," allows his spirit to blossom once more (8). His self-worth is revitalized, and he is once again able to feel that he is performing the role which society demands he fill. Though there may or may not have been any issue of acceptance for Gregor's father, he likely now feels that he is a more accepted and proper member of society."
Abstract In this article, the writer discusses that the decline of the traditional family structure and concomitant values has been the subject of many worried religious and social documents. The writer notes that these documents quote high divorce rates as the reason for all social problems from crime and suicide to the Aids pandemic. Further the writer notes that single-parent families are demonized by many for their propensity towards abuse and poverty. Gay marriages are seen by many as the ultimate disgrace; a parody of the healthy family structure. Others hold that the family structure has historically not been extremely stable and that to blame escalating crime and suicide rates solely on this decline, is somewhat unbalanced. The writer maintains that like many other social phenomena and paradigms, there are therefore more than one view of the issue, some of which are examined in this paper. The writer concludes with the opinion that the country is not facing a national crisis with regard to the family.
From the Paper "Po Bronson makes the same point in terms of family structure. He quotes a report by the United Nations in its finding that there is an increasing diversity of household types in modern society over the last few decades. Like Carlson, Bronson points out that the phenomenon of family complexity is hardly new. The difference is however the causes of the celibacy, single-parenthood and reconstituted families during Victorian times as opposed to the same phenomenon today. Po cites morality levels, economic constraints and ideological choices as some of these reasons for pre-Victorian family diversity, while the ideological attitude today has changed from the uniform ideal towards tolerance and acceptance. It is this tolerance and acceptance that are often used by religious and social groups to lament the decline of the family as a "national crisis"."
Abstract The paper provides a historical analysis of the evolution of gender roles and the economics of the Canadian family over time. The paper shows how this evolution was notably conservative in many respects in perpetuating the sexism and economic gender inequalities of the past.
The paper discusses how women still remain the primary source of domestic labor and male economic predominance continues within most households. The paper stresses that while the social direction points towards greater equity, we must not lose sight of the enduring economic injustices and burdens that women bear in both the domestic sphere and in the paid labor force.
From the Paper "The statement that in Canadian society men are no longer considered the "sole breadwinners" nor women only fit for "domesticity" is an assertion that, upon initial review, appears incontrovertible. After all, the rise of the dual-income family and the increasing prominence of women in the paid labour force is a widely recognized phenomenon in Canada as in most western countries."
"This being said, however, upon closer review it may be argued that the situation in terms of gender roles in the Canadian economy and labour force is not quite as clear as this statement would suggest. As this essay will argue, while men are no long the sole breadwinners, they do retain significant economic dominance in Canadian households as in the labour force as a whole."
Abstract In this article, the writer notes that Connie Field's documentary 'The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter' explores a world and a social context far removed from the world of working women today in the early 21st century. As such, its use as a non-typical resource for study might appear surprising. However, as this essay argues, many of the issues addressed in this documentary with respect to women and work - choice, racism, the dichotomy of domestic and paid labor - continue to be issues confronting women today over a half-century later. From an inclusive political economy perspective, this essay argues the thesis that the experiences of the women represented in 'The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter' are reflective of broader, large scale social phenomena in regard to the differential treatment of women's labor in our globalized capitalist economies and the state structures that support these economies.
Outline:
Introduction
Rosie the Riveter in an Historical Context
Choice, Opportunity and the "Breadwinner Ideal"
Opportunity and Status of Women's Labour
Conclusion
From the Paper "When we understand women's labour in this historical continuum, we gain insights into the larger structural and economic forces shaping not only opportunities for women but also the exploitation of women's labour, and the restrictions placed upon women's choices by capitalist power structures. The fact that women in the 1990s worked to ensure family survival in much the same way as did women in the 1930s is indicative of the deep structural forces that have determined women's labour opportunities over time. Moreover, this historical contextualization allows us to understand the depiction of women and work in The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter in a more complex way. Many women, and in particular women from low-income families, who were often coincidentally women of colour and/or recent immigrants, have had to work in the paid labour force before the Second World War. The significance of the historical events outlined in Connie Field's documentary is not so much that women were in the paid labour force for the first time but that the nature of their labour, and their standard of recompense, was radically different from that which they "enjoyed" in the years before the Second World War."
Abstract The paper discusses Matt Groening's show, "The Simpsons', which offers a a comedic look into American suburban family life. The paper examines how the show satirizes American suburbia and American family life by revealing truths about how American families function. The paper further looks at how "The Simpsons" addresses issues related to gender roles in the family as well as how the family deals with crises, marriage childcare and housekeeping. The paper analyzes the main members of the family, namely Homer, Marge and Bart.
From the Paper "The Simpsons offers a comedic look into American suburban family life. Because they are depicted in an animated show the Simpsons can represent families of any ethnic, religious, or cultural background living in suburban USA. Moreover, the name of their hometown is Springfield, one of the most common city names in America. Therefore, Matt Groening satirizes American suburbia and American family life by revealing truths about how American families function. The writers and producers also elucidate issues related to gender roles in the family as well as how the family deals with crises, elder care, and child care."
