Preview

Examples Of Cultural Contradictions Of Motherhood

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1045 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Examples Of Cultural Contradictions Of Motherhood
Cultural Contradictions of Motherhood
What is a Mother? The typical American family as a whole falls under a wide range of descriptions. Families do not always come with two biological parents and biological siblings. Some are blended or are a single-parent household. The age of the mother at the time of birth also plays a role in her nurturing skills and the way she cares for the child. The mother in the typical American household plays a significant role in nurturing, guidance and family growth. The role of the mother in the typical American family is to bring unity and structure to the family unit. The mother plays multiple roles in the household. The stay-at-home mom generally considers her role as mom a full-time responsibility. This
…show more content…
Working moms contribute financially to the household to pay for bills and the physical needs of the child. They juggle family and personal relationships along with their careers. Some mothers homeschool their children and provide not only nurturing from mothering but also by filling the role of educator.Mothers do not just fill the role of nurturer. Many mothers balance this role along w ith that of provider where they share or solely provide responsibility to their offspring. The typical American mother could be single, a stepmother or guardian to foster children or other children living in the home. Single mothers with one or more children are responsible for the majority--if not all--of the raising, responsibility and financial well-being of their child or children. In some cases, if the father is not involved full-time, mothers assume the role of both parents. Stepmothers are often a part of a typical blended American family. They may or may not be there for the children full-time. Their role is primarily setting rules, enforcing behavior within the range discussed by the parent's primary caregiver or parent. Most treat the child like their own but still may have to seek approval for discipline, …show more content…
They provide nurturing, guidance and financial support that directly relates to the well-being of the children. Though many of these roles are provided by mothers both individually or in combination with each other. It is also important to note that not all mothers fulfill these stereotypical roles. In Hispanic culture, a woman's role is to care for home and family sometimes even an extended family. Hispanic women are protected, and revered with full authority in the home, while her husband remains the respected head of the household. In Hispanic culture, family is the most important social unit, and family members are expected to extend aid and support to all other family members. Women fully participate in Hispanic culture, as ensuring family solidarity and well-being is her primary role. In ancient Chinese culture the role of the women was largely restricted to their homes. They were taken as a liability until they reached the age of marriage when they were given away to another family. Today the reign of the woman in Chinese culture is no longer restricted to the walls of her home. The role of a woman in the Arab-Muslim family does not allow for misconception, she is a mother, a sister, or a wife. A woman can never be a friend or a lover. She lives in a society where genders never mix, where she encounters a man

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Comparative Critique

    • 812 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In the articles “My Problem with Her Anger” and The Myth of Co-Parenting: How It Was Supposed to Be. How It Was,” authors Eric Bartels, feature writer for the Portland Tribune in Portland, Oregon, and Hope Edelman, nonfictional writer whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and Seventeen magazine, discuss the roles they play within their family and what the other partner is lacking. They express their discontent regarding their wives and the activities they perform domestically. Wives have an image of what they want their family to be like, but according to the traditional American families, the gender roles of “nurturer’ and “provider” are ingrained within everyone. This is not the case in today’s struggle for individualism. Despite countless efforts by American females to be liberated from their male counterparts and the perceived natural domestic image, in some cases, such as Edelman and Bartels, it is inevitable that they end up with gender roles such as those in the idealized Nuclear Family of the 1950’s.…

    • 812 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the article, The Changing American Family by Arvonne S. Fraser the author starts the article off with describing the variations of what a family is and the factors make up a family. The article furthermore mentions the expectations of the family. The author makes the point that as time goes on American families will have changed and they will not be like the families that have developed over the past centuries. There are many factors as to how the American family has changed. For one the role of the women in the household has changed.…

    • 192 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    They see their mother as something that is subservient to their father, and because of the father being the enforcer it messes with the mother from reaching the psychological term of self-actualization. The traditional father is also typically the one who protects the family and keeps a tight perimeter around the household. The mother’s role is ensure that the child grows up emotionally strong and feels secure in that regard. Studies also show that mothers tend to do more of the cooking and cleaning around the house and they also take care of the child (Guttman).…

    • 603 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Recent scholarship has demonstrated that diversity and change have been the only constants in the history of the American family. Far from signaling the family's imminent demise or an erosion of commitment to children, recent changes in family life are only the latest in a series of disjunctive transformations in family roles, functions, and dynamics that have occurred over the past three centuries.…

    • 3941 Words
    • 16 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    This article describes how today’s family structure is increasingly different than the stereotypical family consisting of two parents two children. Oswald discusses changing roles in the household, and how pluralistic structures of family are replacing monolithic ones. This is reflected in advertising, which increasingly caters to a fragmented family with more individualized adds. Oswald discusses changes in the workforce that support the idea of a pluralistic family structure. With more women working overtime, and men working part time, a variety of role compositions can be taken on at home. She explains that the connections and desire for togetherness is being satisfied through individual needs met within a community.…

    • 485 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Traditionally, a model American family is a nucleus consisting of the father, mother and children and each member is expected to play their roles specifically the father as head of the family is the bread winner, the mother is responsible in the caring for the children and keeping the house while the children are expected to show respect to their parents, excel academically and be the pride of the family. These are the ideals and any form of deviation is a reflection of failure of the member, shame to the whole family or an anti-social act justifying discrimination from other members of the society.…

    • 1370 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The traditional family structure in the United States is used to be considered as a family support system involving two married people providing care for their family. However, the traditional family structure has become less common as we head into the 21th century. The changes among families in America has shifted to very powerful changes, including divorce and single-parent families, teenage pregnancy, and same-sex marriage, and increased rate of adoption. Social movements such as advanced technology, longer life spans, the freedom of increasing the use of birth control, women’s increasing engagement into the workforce, and a dramatic increase in divorce rates have restructured the American family’s life nowadays.…

    • 259 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In my culture men and women have clearly defined roles. Traditionally men are responsible for providing for the family and for dealing with family. For example, bringing them money, taking kids to school, they dial…

    • 1771 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ho Families Are Changing

    • 444 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The present structure of the average family in America is changing, mainly due to the growing number of mothers who now work outside the home. The current mark of dual-earner families stands at 64 percent, making it a solid majority today. This alteration of the "traditional" structure of the family is a catalyst for other changes that may soon occur.…

    • 444 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Issue Paper

    • 741 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In a household where the mother and father are the biological parents of their children, that family tends to do well over all. When there is both the mom and dad the child has more of a chance to learn and grow. As a child explores their surroundings they need the support from both parents. When exploring and experimenting, children need a male influence to reinsure themselves. The male presence also plays a big role when developing motor skills. Unlike most mothers, fathers are usually more “rough” with their child and are physical with them. Such as tossing the child in the air or pushing them done a slide. On the other hand, mothers are the reinsurance in love and care that children need. Although playing with dad might be fun, every now and again the child will end up getting hurt. And the mother is called on to take care of the child. Quite often when children are young, they will first look for a reaction from the people around them to figure out how they should react. And when a child sees his mothers reaction he is more likely to copy her. A mother is also there to nurture the child in self-care such as bathing and keeping objects organized. Mothers and fathers play huge roles in a child’s life. The mothers show the child how to have patients, love, and how to…

    • 741 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    This article states the basic ways in which the American family has been changing in recent years. Researchers…

    • 715 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Gender roles in the Hispanic culture are very traditional. Many families that at one point immigrated to the United States have continued to follow their traditional gender specific roles in the U.S. Unfortunately; there is an inequality when raising children according to their sexes or what we call gender specific roles in the traditional Hispanic culture. Females are raised to be dependent and restricted, less vocal, and over all Marianismo (loving and caring mothers, nurturers). While Hispanic males have free range, are taught to be assertive and vocal, and over all Machismo (machismo refers to male 's manhood, courage to fight, honor and dignity, keeping one 's word, and protecting one 's name, provider). Keeping traditions in the Hispanic culture is very important yet we must acknowledge that the times are different now; with this in mind we must rethink the way we raise both female and male children in the Hispanic culture. We must raise our children to be strong and independent, educated, vocal, acceptance of equal responsibility in the family.…

    • 1630 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    American Women

    • 3924 Words
    • 16 Pages

    In this paper, the changing role of women was explored. The major focus was positioned on the changing roles of women in the American family. Public opinion was examined and analyzed to see if America was really "one nation" when it came to the subject of women working with children and a husband. It was of particular interest to see if Americans believed that the family suffered due to the women 's new position in society, and just how big this divide between the traditional family of a mother staying at home with her children and the modern family of a women working equally as a hard and as long as her husband.…

    • 3924 Words
    • 16 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    The time from the World War II to the Present Day, from 1949 to 2015, there have been many changes that our nation has gone through. These changes have affected the roles of the elders because of the changes the American family has endured. Along with each generation came their own specific role change within the family. After World War II over time the role of the family has changed from the grandparents, father, mother, and children, from a farming family to that of an industrial family. The industrial families consist of the working father, house wife mother and the children. As time continue to pass the family structure changed to meet the needs of a changing society. Now we see the introduction of the working father and the working mother and the number of children growing smaller on average to three children families. With birth control women in the work place has caused the structure to change again, to the single parent family with children or no children at all.…

    • 1344 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the Western society I was raised in, a mother is usually understood as one of two ways. A mother is either a selfless and hardworking nurturer, or a protective and “helicoptering” figure that will do anything for her child. While numerous mothers, in actuality, encompass neither or both of these roles along with several others, the definition usually encompasses much more than just somebody who has given birth. The factual and textbook definition of being a mother is simply to be a female parent, however, the social definition of “Motherhood” has been stretched in several societies. Throughout our class, I have learned different ways in which motherhood in Israel specifically has grown to encompass roles related not only to Israeli children…

    • 2476 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics