Family

GENDER COMMUNICATION IN

family

CMS 498 Alex Jaime

WHAT IS FAMILY?

Family is not just the location of interpersonal relationships, but it is also a social institution that genders its members. Family is organized along these gendered lines by other social forces.

HOW SOCIETY IS INVOLVED

The way society communicatesabout family has an influenceon the family’s structure andhow the institution structuresits members – it is all connected!

FAMILIES & GENDER

So now the question is

How does the social institution of family relate to gender diversity?

FAMILIES & GENDER

Families and gender are so connected that it is impossible to understand one without referring to the other.

Families are organized by gender – for example, by the roles of mother, father, daughter, son, sister, brother, etc. An example of these roles are shown in the picture in the next slide.

FAMILY GENDER ROLES

IMPACT

If you think about it, family really is the first encounter one has in gaining information on gender. Growing up, children are taught women and men have different roles in the family structure and therefore have different roles in society itself.

NUCLEAR FAMILY

What is a nuclear family and where did the concept come from?

A traditional nuclear family is composed of 2 parents, one male and one female whom have biological children.

The roles of the husband and wife are very different. The male is the wage earner and the female is the homemaker.

Along with the stereotypical notions of masculinity & femininity, the nuclear family concept also emerged during the Industrial Revolution.

NUCLEAR FAMILY

Currently, this type of institution is not the only option. Family structures are changing and no longer follow this exact path.

Why?

The nuclear family is NOT self-sufficient. Society - friends, work, religion, schools, media, and law influence family & the way gender is communicated between its members.

COMMUNICATION

When communicating in these social institutions, it is almost like a cycle.

COMMUNICATION

1) Society communicates to the family as a whole and to the family’s individual members.

2) Then, there is communication that occurs within the social institution itself, meaning between family members.

3) The family as a whole communicates back to society through their behavior and thoughts.

STAGE ONE

Society communicates to the family as a whole and to the family’s individual members.

For example, if most of the popular television shows have the male role provide the family with food on the table and clothes on their back, this is society communicating to the family that:

THIS IS NORMAL GENDER BEHAVIOR!!!

STAGE TWO

Then, there is communication that occurs within the social institution itself, meaning between family members.

This is also where parent-child communication comes into play. Parents provide a model for children’s gendered identities because children are closest to their parents (as opposed to society’s influences) for a longer period of time. Children are likely to model parent’s behavior if a) they admire the person they are observing and b) if they are rewarded for the behavior. For example, if a child admires the father who communicates extremely derogatory things to his or her mother, the child may model that behavior in gender communication when he or she is older.

When a family goes about their daily life schedule, they are subconsciously communicating to each other. They communicate what is acceptable and what is not. They communicate the roles in which they have and the roles that they may wish they had. Communicating does not only mean speaking, it can also mean the behavior and non-verbal communication.

STAGE THREE

The family as a whole communicates back to society through their behavior and thoughts.

As stated in the previous slide, when a family goes about their daily life schedule, they are subconsciously communicating BACK TO SOCIETY! They communicate what is acceptable and what is not. They communicate the roles in which they have and the roles that they may wish they had. Communicating does not only mean speaking, it can also mean the behavior and non-verbal communication.

Analysis & Discussion

Gender Communication in Family

Society has a large impact on the communication that is involved in family structures. This is mainly because gender roles are constructed through

public discourse. Society communicates the ways families “should” be and then families communicate back to society with what they actually are. Gender communication in families is a cycle that is so broad

yet so personalized at the same time.

“Other things may change us, but we start and end with the family.”