Social Construction of Gender
American family is an integral part of the American society and history. It has changed over time due to numerous changes in economics, people’s worldview, attitudes towards household, gender identity and roles played by men and women in the family. For better understanding of these changes, it is important to have a look at different periods separately, to compare and contrast elements of gender identity and stratification within different family structures of the past.
The history of American family begins with colonial era, which was represented by diversity and absence of stability. Marriages were a tradition and a necessity. Until 1776, nuclear structure of the family was predominant. In the 18th century (especially after the American Revolution), the family was based on the agrarian context. Both men and women were important for the economy of the family. Families were formed and developed under the influence of affective individualism, commercial capitalism and economic adaptation of working and middle-class families (Coontz, 1992).
All the mentioned phenomena reflected in 19th century. This period is characterized by the shortage of women and men’s moving westward. Thus, men needed women on the frontier, and this need resulted in the creating of a new marriage pattern based on affection and companionship. Although the male dominance remained, men assisted wives in domestic chores, while women took part in men’s outdoor activities. Generally, the main task of the women in the family was to take care of children and home. There were some changes in the relations between parents and children. Children became less dependent upon parents. During the Civil War mother was a centre of home, sometimes women became nurses and took care of injured soldiers. One of the most urgent questions in the post-war time was remarriage and the status of Civil War widows. All the mentioned changes in social background, westward movement, the Civil War and reconstruction changed relations within family greatly, and the American family moved into the 20th century having the face of industrialization and reform (Hareven, 1991).
Nowadays families are different from those of the18th and the 19th century due to numerous unique social phenomena, which were unknown to people of the past. Today marriage depends on social and economic factors (Cherlin, 2005). While in the 18th-19th centuries girls married at the age of 15-17, today marriage is postponed. People live longer, and thus, they do not see any reason to hurry. Young people can live together without getting married. Present time is also characterized by high divorce rates, a great number of single mothers. Divorce today is an everyday occurrence, and people can easily get married and the next day end relations without any problem. Traditional family experiences its decline. Women, whose task in the past was to bear children and to take care of home, today have to work and play the role of a breadwinner. As a result, families have fewer children. One more phenomenon of present days is gay and lesbian marriage, which is legal and very popular.
Summing up, gender identity plays a crucial role in family and its understanding. Historical and modern families existed and exist in many forms, which are distinguished by different roles of men and women, various attitudes towards the household and marriage. Thus, traditional family of the past has changed significantly under the influence of social and economic problems, people’s worldviews and values.
