We have given special attention to 1) the development of gender norms that emphasize gender role specialization (Talcott Parsons and Robert Bales);2) the specific social conditions of the 1950s that supported gender role specialization (Stephanie Coontz);3) the continuing impact of the older gender norms on families, (e.g., Arlie Hochschild, Kathleen Gerson, Brigid Schulte). Older gender norms have been especially challenging for families as broad social support for caretaking work (in the form of the stay-at-home mother) has declined since the 1950s. As Hochschild, Gerson, and Schulte have shown, older gender norms often remain part of family life, even as the material foundations for these norms weaken.In this essay, explain why it is important to understand the ideology of gender role specialization in social context. What greater insights into family dynamics might be gained from taking a sociological perspective on gender role norms? How might a family benefit from a more flexible understanding of gender norms?In the body of your essay, you should address the following issues:1) How Parsons and Bales’ study of the family contributed to our understanding of families in socio-economic context;2) Why Parsons and Bales specifically thought gender role specialization would be the best way to organize families, especially as a way to stabilize adult relations; 3) What made it possible for most families to adhere to this style of organization in the 1950s and 1960s (Coontz);4) What social changes made this style of family organization less feasible for most families (Coontz and Hochschild);5) What are the consequences for families (esp. the “stabilization of adult relations”) when a) gender ideologies justify significant inequalities in adult partners’ contribution to family life (Hochschild, Schulte) ORb) adult partners adopt more flexible gender norms in creating their family life (Hochschild, Gerson)Make sure your essay includes a discussion of the work of the three major scholars we have covered so far: Parsons/Bales, Coontz, and Hochschild. References to Schulte or Gerson can be used for supporting evidence. Note that this essay is NOT a criticism of male breadwinner/female caretaker families. Rather, we are looking at social and economic factors that have made this arrangement less feasible for many families. Contemplation of these issues is also a way to understand some of the unnecessary stresses placed on home life if we as a society do not truly value and support the caretaking work done within families.
