Gender and The Social Institutions (Gender and Family)

GENDER AND
THE SOCIAL
INSTITUTIONS
SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS
 These social institutions consist of a group of people
who have come together for a common purpose. These
institutions are a part of the social order of society and
they govern behavior and expectations of individuals.
Thus, the persons are banded together for common
purposes having rights, privileges, liabilities, goals, or
objectives distinct and independent from those of
individual members.
SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS
Social institutions have been created by man from
social relationships in society to meet such basic
needs as stability, law and order and clearly defined
roles of authority and decision making.
GENDER
AND
FAMILY
Gender in the family
Differential obligations of women and men were

believed to incur, appropriately, because of their
gender and their socialization into adulthood. In
other words, women and men were seen as engaging
in certain behaviours and occupying specific roles
because they were female or male
Nature of Family
 1. Universality – family is found in each stage of society and everywhere.
There is no society without family. There is not a single man who does not
belong to one or other kind of family"(Anderson n.d.).
 2. Emotional basis – There should be an emotional relationship – love,

affection, sympathy, and co-operation. If there is no such basis the family
breaks up.
Nature of Family
 Formative influence – Each family has a certain form: Orientation and

Procreations (Mac Iver). If you are a member of one family you inherit your
parents’ characteristic. Frand said "In adulthood man has the characteristic of
parents". In pro you give birth to children and they are influenced by your
personality.
 4. Limited in size – Gisbert "Husband, wife and children". Family is

limited in size in comparison to other groups. Joint family is large whereas
nuclear family is small.
Nature of Family
 5. Nuclear position in the society – According to Charles Cooley Family is a
primary group and is the fundamental unit of society. It is the primary cell of society.
Society is an aggregation of families.
 6. Sense of responsibility – The function of the family is to provider economic

needs of the children. It is the responsibility of the parents to look after the children
of the family. At the time of crisis man is ready to die for country but for his family
he is always ready to protect the family's prestige etc.
Nature of Family
 7. Social control – family is a mechanism of social control. When one
is small he does not know what's wrong or right. If you follow good
you are praised otherwise you are punished. This makes you think
that you must relate to the good and when you grow up you relate
to the good of society.
 8. Permanent and temporary in nature – Family is an institution as well
as association. As an institution family is permanent because it's
found everywhere and at every stage of history. As an association,
family is or close kin group (when the child has his own family he
separates from the original & so temporary) that consists of father,
mother and children. Generally the children make their own family
but the family disintegrates in case of divorce or death of a parent.
. Theoretical Perspective in Gendered Family
 Functionalist – believes that the traditional family as

a natural unit exists to maintain social order and is
mutually beneficial to all. It is then perceived that family
controls behaviour among its members appropriate to
one’s sexuality and/or gender and ensures this institution
is bound to be socially acceptable and parents can strictly
imposed respective functions on their children.
 For the Marxist feminist, the nuclear family is believed to

benefit the powerful (ruling class) at the expense of the
working class while women’s domestic labor enables the future
workforce to be reared at little cost to the patriarchal capitalist
state. The containment of women’s sexual services and
domestic labor within marriage ensures the male workforce is
emotionally and physically fit. Keeping men satisfied at home
detracts from frustrations caused by lack of power but results
in compensatory behaviour
Moreover, feminist believed that men and women
are socialized into gender specific roles that exist to
confirm and uphold male power and superiority in
the family. This would mean that marriage and
nuclear family tend to exploit and oppress women.
Gender Roles in the Family
Research also suggests that across all family types,

Fathers treat children in a much more gendered way
(Gross, 2005).
Gender Roles in the Family
 Women do the majority of domestic labour and childcare regardless of work outside the
home, although men’s contribution is increasing,
 Research indicates that while women’s health deteriorates through marriage, men’s improves,
 Married women are even poorer than single women and lone parents (mainly women) are
poorer still,
 Men’s role as parent is viewed as inferior,
 Women are still subjected to an increased rate of domestic violence through marriage despite
recent legislation
Gender Stereotypes in the Family
 Parents and their children are immersed in a social and

cultural environment that produces and perpetuates
gender stereotypes which they may eventually introduce
in the family such as the choice in clothing, toys to play
with, and television shows while friends and extended
family members as well will all communicate messages,
explicitly and implicitly, about what is considered
‘appropriate’ for mother, father, daughter/s and son/s in
their family
Family as agent of socialization
Family:
Child-Rearing as Mechanism
of Gender Role Socialization
Manipulation Canalization
Verbal
Appellation Activity Exposure
Manipulation:
Boys and girls are treated
and handled differently.
Canalization:
Children’s attention is focused
on gender-appropriate objects.
Verbal Appellation:
Words used to boys and girls to
tell them what they are and
what are expected of them.
Activity Exposure:
Children are exposed to gender-
appropriate tasks.
Gender Inequality (structure) in the Family
Each family has its own ways of deciding who has the
power and authority within the family unit, and which
rights, privileges, obligations, and roles are assigned to each
family member.
In most families parents are expected to be the leaders or
executives (descriptive role) of the family; children are
expected to follow the leadership of their parents. As chil-
dren in the middle years grow older, they will ask for, and
certainly should be allowed, more autonomy, and their
opinions should be considered when decisions are made
Gender Inequality (structure) in the Family
 In patriarchal societies such as the Philippines, men

have traditionally had power over women, including
within the family.
Mothers have been the caretakers, responsible for the
emotional side of the family; they have kept the
family together and functioning smoothly.
Changing Gender Role Patterns in Filipino
Family
. The changes in family gender role patterns could be

paralleled by a substantial transition of Philippine
society from traditional agriculture to the modern
industrial type that had brought changes within the
family and in the family relation to kin’s group as well.
Family
 The family structure has gradually undergone some

modifications as modernization progresses is the pattern
of authority. Traditionally, deference is given to age.
Headship of the household is automatically assumed by
the oldest male. Although the deference may still be
given to the elderly as the formally acknowledge head of
the family, the young and better-educated breadwinner
today may actually be the decision-maker and real
manager of the household.
Family
 Today, the Filipino family is generally classified as

egalitarian. Authority is more or less divided between
husband and wife. Although the husband is formally
recognized as the head but the wife has the important
position of treasurer of the household and manager of
the domestic affairs. Since there are more working
women now than ever before, today’s Filipina does a
balancing act between career and family.
Challenges of Today’s Gendered Filipino
Family
 What are some of these threats?

1. Negative influence of mass media
2. Economic pressure. Parental absenteeism in search of jobs abroad is a factor
weakening Filipino family life.
3. The third is materialism. With changing priorities and given a very consumerist
environment, material wealth and success now determine social status.
4. Lastly, one can never deny the presence of anti-life and anti-family campaigns. In
the name of so-called women‘s rights and sustainable development, pregnancy is
considered a health hazard and children, an economic burden. Connected to this is
a contraceptive mentality which has led to sexual promiscuity and the corruption of
married love.

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GENDER AND

Differential obligations of women and men were

 2. Emotional basis – There should be an emotional relationship – love,

 Formative influence – Each family has a certain form: Orientation and

 4. Limited in size – Gisbert "Husband, wife and children". Family is

 6. Sense of responsibility – The function of the family is to provider economic

 Functionalist – believes that the traditional family as

 For the Marxist feminist, the nuclear family is believed to

Research also suggests that across all family types,

 Men’s role as parent is viewed as inferior,

 Parents and their children are immersed in a social and

 In patriarchal societies such as the Philippines, men

. The changes in family gender role patterns could be

 The family structure has gradually undergone some

 Today, the Filipino family is generally classified as

 What are some of these threats?

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