Gender Roles are a big part of every movie and every television show. Even in the modern world, women are often expected to be wives, keep the house, and raise the children. On countless shows, this type of gender roles is used. While the roles might be reversed at times, it is usually the male going to work and the female staying home. I sometimes watch the show Parenthood, which is about the trials and tribulations of the large and outgoing Braverman Family. This family, while very dysfunctional, is also very loving and close-nit. The parents, Zeek and Camille have four kids, Adam, Sarah, Julia, and Crosby. Adam is married with two kids, Sarah is single with two, Julia is married with one, and Crosby is engaged with one kid. This family dynamic is unordinary and definitely not the “typical family”. While they might not be completely normal, their show still has gender roles. Adam and his wife, Kristina, have two kids and their family has typical gender roles. Adam goes to work everyday, while Kristina stays home to take care of the kids and tend to the house. Julia and her husband, Joel, do not follow typical gender roles. Joel is a stay-at-home father, while Julia is out earning the money as a corporate attorney. As the show develops, the viewers see that this arrangement is not working out for Joel. He is becoming restless not working because of the recession and wants to go back to work. Even though the world is changing and women are becoming more independent and working more, men are still expected to work and earn the living. Joel, like many men, feel like they are the “MEN” and should be earning the money in the family. Many are taught as children to earn the money and not be home doing “women’s work” at home with the kids. This is what society teaches us. In every television show, every movie, has these gender roles, whether intentional or not. Normally, the action heroes in the movies are men with a woman as a partner. Rarely do you see a woman as the hero. Now I am not saying that this does not exist, because it does. Women are sometimes the hero or the business person, but more often than not, men take that role. People look and see women as being the nurturers, while the men should go get the “bad guys” or whatever. Now, these roles have changed over the years, but I do not see in the near future people viewing gender roles differently. Women will most likely always be the “homemakers” and men will be the big earners. Whether this is good or bad, is up to you.
