CRJ #9

Chapter seven focuses on the aspects of family. The family is the “central organizing principle” around the world. Although there are nuclear families that are supposed to be the “norm” of American society, there are no normal families. The nuclear family is the idea of a heterosexual married couple with children. There are many other forms of family such as single parents, cohabitate families, and homosexual partnerships. The family is an institution of society. It provides experiences for its members that help them to shape their roles in society. For example, the role that the wife plays in the household is much like the norm they play in society. The family institution also offers advantages such as combined taxes and other benefits. Members of the family learn how to be party of a community by interacting with family members. Furthermore, the family members’ views on society is reflected and mimicked by other members. Power is an important aspect of family. In most modern day families, men have the power. They are allowed to manage the finances and make important decisions. There has been an increased number of divorce in America that could be due to the fact women are learning their own power. Power should be balanced in a relationship. Society is based on the family and because our society is constantly fluctuating in its ideas and opinions, the structure of the family has been changing as well.
Marriage and love are not synonymous in all cases. Some marriages happen because two people are in love while some are just made to fall into society’s social norm. Love does not come out of a forced marriage. If you want to fall in love with someone, marriage is not the answer. You may become close with that person, but do not expect to fall in love. Most young women are told the marriage should be their ultimate goal. They are supposed to know what a marriage is like and what to expect, but they are not supposed to have premarital sex. The entire concept is very hypocritical. Many marriages today are not based on love but on money. Marriage causes women to become dependent on other people and it is reinforced through every generation. For me, marriage is not my ultimate goal. I have other things that are more important to me than marriage for example, my career.
The Emperor’s New Woes addresses the change in the man’s role in a relationship. Men have had to change their role in a marriage due to the changes in women’s lives. Women now have careers as well as the job of being a mother and they are looking for support and affection from their husbands. They want someone who is a best friend to them but also can support them financially. It has been proven that married men work longer, earn more money, and move up the career ladder faster (411). He changes his life from being a fun bachelor hanging out with his friends to a supportive father and dad. Men used to be able to “get away with” coming home after work, watching television, and going to bed, women want them to be social with them now when they return home. Emotional content of marriage has become an important factor. The issue of sexual needs is also important because men and women have different needs. This can cause issues in a marriage when one member is not satisfied. Men and women both want the same thing in marriage, to be understood by one another. Although they may want different things, both have needs that need to be met. It is up to both members of a marriage to make it work.
Our families influence who we will be in the future. In the reading Only Daughter, the writer explains the effects of being the only daughter in a family with six boys. She was forced to spend a lot of alone time, possibly an influence of her career as a writer. She continually tried to impress her father through her writing, however, her father did not recognize her talent. He expected her to find a job while in college, not earn a degree and focus on a career. I am lucky to have a father that wants exactly the opposite for me. He likes the fact that I focus on my career. However, I still receive the typical male dominate attitude from him. He worries that I will not be able to make it financially if I want to go to medical school and sometimes I believe he is trying to talk me out of my dream to be a doctor. I know, however, that when I graduate from medical school and become Dr. Webb, he will be very proud of me.