Interpretations of Family and Gender Roles: A Comparative Analysis - Essay Sample

What different interpretations of family and gender roles are voiced in the materials you reviewed? Draw connections between the materials above and your textbook readings.

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Many gender roles are portrayed in all the reviewed mediums. The audio file 'Defending and Attacking Polygamy in Saudi Arabia' focus on how the Saudi Arabian men are encouraged on the importance of practicing polygamy rather than having a mistress. Moreover, the audio illustrates how the wife has to accept and live by this fact, since it is out of her control and that women who do not want to live with other fellow women are presented with an option to leave (Julie, 2004). However, many of them have consented to this fact since the government protects men when it comes to this situation. Moreover, despite the level of education of a Saudi Arabian woman, their definition and place in the society are always beside a man. For instance, the clip from 'She's the man' has portrayed a woman who has been denied an opportunity of becoming a member of a sports club because of her gender (Golombok et al., 2013). Only men are allowed to participate in competitive soccer.

Furthermore, the article asserts that "but it remains the case that mothers are widely believed to be fundamentally more suited to parenting, for example, more nurturing than are fathers" (Golombok et al., 2013). This sentiment implies that it is an expectation that the mother becomes parents since they possess a caring and emotional aspect that fathers may lack. However, this sentiment may 'hold no waters' since, towards the end of the article, gay fathers have demonstrated high level of warmth in parenting. Notably, the above interpretations and notions reveal that there exist multiple beliefs within every society that keep the globe from embracing gender equality. Moreover, generalization also exists on gender superiority in terms of parenting, jobs, and recreational sporting activities.

To what extent do these differing viewpoints correspond or clash with Western notions of the family?

The viewpoint of polygamy in Saudi Arabia contradicts western notions of the family since, in the United States, polygamy is not widely practiced or embraced like in Saudi Arabia. Moreover, polygamy varies in every culture and religion; however, a significant percentage in the US practice monogamy as opposed to Saudi Arabia. This is because societal norms in the US are on a course of transformative civilization, which embraces the importance of women in society. However, while the practice of polygamy is not widely practiced in the US, many countries still embrace polygamy.

Reference

Golombok, S., Mellish, L., Jennings, S., Casey, P., Tasker, F., & Lamb, M. E. (2013). Adoptive gay father families: parent-child relationships and children's psychological adjustment. Child Development, 85(2), 456-468. DOI:10.1111/cdev.121551.2.

Julie McCarthy (July18,2004). https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=349906