Television Depiction Of Family Life Essay Research

Television Depiction Of Family Life Essay, Research Paper Changes in the Family Ross T. Crooks October 22, 2000 Over the past 50 years, the traditional structure of the family has evolved tremendously. The role of each member has changed in many ways. This creates an entirely different chemistry within the family. In the 1950?s, the traditional family was composed of a father, mother, and the children that they created within the marriage. The father was usually the disciplinarian and financial provider for the family. The mother?s job was to stay at home and raise the children while keeping the house in working order. It is now extremely common to see both parents working to support the family financially. Women are becoming more active in the workplace and some men are even

staying home to take care of the kids. This evolution is being depicted frequently in the media today. Movies and television shows now contain many different types of families. These shows accurately depict the changes that are currently taking place in family life around the world. One television show today that possesses the traditional family structure is ?Home Improvement.? This is a comedic sitcom about a man, a woman, and their three boys. The father works as the host of a television show which teaches people how to remodel their homes. He fits many common male stereotypes in that he is very interested in tools and hot rod cars. The father is also provides the majority of the family?s income. The mother works part time in a library and attends college. Although she has a

job and other interests, she assumes the role of the housewife and mother also. This television show accurately portrays the traditional family of the early twentieth century. The father acts as the major financial provider for the family and he is also the disciplinarian. He assumes the stereotypical fatherly role by teaching his boys ?masculine? activities such as building things and playing sports. However, the mother does not act in a completely traditional role. She attends college, which is not common for a wife. She also works part time at a library in order to complement her husband’s salary. This type of show sends a message to women that they are now able to pursue their own desires and are no longer limited to their role as a homemaker. ?Full House? is a television

show that presents an entirely different view of family life. Bob Saget plays the father of three teenage girls, living in a house with two other grown men. One of these men, Jesse, is the girls uncle (their mother?s brother), and the other, Joey, is a friend of the father. The father works full time and provides for his girls. Due to his career, he is not always around to actively parent them. Joey and Jesse are left to do much of the parenting. This is an example of a non-traditional single parent family. What makes this even more interesting is the fact that the father has custody of the girls. It is more common for the mother to gain custody of the children after the separation of the parents. This popular sitcom demonstrates the drastic change in family structure of our

times. A few decades ago, this type of family was very rare and was not widely accepted by society. Many different types of families are portrayed in movies also. ?Honey I Shrunk the Kids? is one such example. Although the family in this movie is very odd, they are a classic example of a nuclear family. The family is composed of only four members. These smaller families became more popular due to the industrial revolution. The father works as an inventor and provides for the family, while the mother is a stereotypical homemaker. They are the biological parents of a teenage son and daughter. The father is the sole financial provider for the family, and the mother takes care of the house while raising the children. This type of family was very common in the mid-twentieth century