gender roles- Parsons

Parsons also examined gender roles within the family. He saw the roles of wives and husbands as originating in biology, arguing they were naturally ‘designed’ to carry out particular roles within the family:

• Males perform an ‘instrumental’ role, e.g. working and competing in the world as the breadwinner.

• Females perform an ‘expressive’ role, relieving stress and anxiety of the husband, providing care, love, warmth and emotional support.

Parsons argues when roles are carried out in this way, the family functions to its highest potential.

Evaluation

1. Radical Feminist Greer argues that Functionalism concentrates too much on harmony and consensus, assuming that society has one set of values, embraced and followed by all. Greer states these gender roles in the family are not biological but determined by patriarchy and men, who benefit from women’s unpaid domestic labour and sexual services. This shows that the family roles are positive to men only, and oppressive to women.

2. Radical Psychiatrist Leach would argue gender roles lead to conflict in the family, not harmony and shared divisions. The nuclear family is isolating for its members, particularly women in the expressive role, who complete domestic labour and provide emotional support to all. This leads to rows amongst adults, as no one provides such support for women and this can be negative for children witnessing such behaviour. This shows traditional gender roles are not beneficial to all family members.