Media Illustration - Brett Kuxhausen

Media Illustration on Chapter 7

Media Illustration:

Emacipatory Families

Brett Kuxhausen

My presentation is over the section titled Emancipatory Families in chapter 7 of our text, Communicating Gender Diversity (DeFrancisco & Palczewski, 2007).  

This section is mostly about the alternative to the nuclear family structure. A variety of family forms can provide a safe haven where the members feel loved, accepted, and are able to grow to their fullest potential, and this is what is called an emancipatory family. Stereotypical gendered roles in the family (like the mother being the homemaker and the father being the breadwinner) are actually creating clear gender roles which are destructive. These clear gender roles are narrow and prescriptive, and create ideals few can attain. So "just a we teach racial tolerance, we need to teach gender tolerance," (pg. 172). Families are an important part of where this can be taught and teaching this tolerance can help a family adapt to cultural and individual needs. 

An example of more flexible gender roles in families is engaged fatherhood. We have seen through previous media illustrations, that the dad tends to be the breadwinner, emotional distant, and not as active at rearing the children. This myth of type of father prevails, so men need to start being more involved in parenting. But, in media, men that are shown to be nurturing and caring are often described as unusual or special. and women who do the same thing are portrayed as justdoing what they should be doing as women and mothers.

But, men are being primary caregivers. "2 million men report being single fathers, and 98,000 are stay at home dads whose wives work outside the home. A growing body of research documents primarily heterosexual middle class men efforts at engaged parenting" (pg. 172). But fathers can also do this type of housework and nurturing when they are not single parents.

White heterosexual couples negotiate shared parenting. Some use a "tag -team" approach and sometimes the man will be a stay at home parent. So, for these flexible gender roles to happen, the husband and wife must work together and have support from others. The benefits of engaged fathers are many, "there is a positive relationship between involved parenting and a father's psychological well-being confidence and self esteem" (pg. 173).

The media example I will show is a great example of how men who do portray a caring and nurturing attitude are described as unusual or special. It also exhibits the duties of a single father, who basically has to be a stay at home day while sharing custody with an ex-wife. Questions posed will have to do with what other current media shows this engaged fathering as well as discussing what can make engaged fathering more commonplace.

References:

DeFrancisco, V. P., & Palczewski, C. H. (2007). Communicating gender diversity: A critical 

approach. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications.