1.)According to Hochshild, what is the “Second Shift?”
The "Second Shift" is the idea that most women work one shift at their outside jobs and a "second shift" at home. So most women who are working to make an income are also at the same time coming back home and have to maintain the household are in reality having two jobs not just one.
2.)Briefly describe the story of Evan and Nancy Holt.
Evan and Nancy are married. Nancy describes herself has an ardent feminist and egalitarian who wants a similar balance of spheres and equal power. Unfortunately the distribution of household chores is not equal within the Holt’s home. Nancy often found herself Coming home from a full day of work just like her husband but was still doing mostly all the household work. Even after Nancy talks to her husband about helping her out and he agrees. Evan’s lack of responsibility within the household, proved how he felt it was acceptable for Nancy to do the majority of the housework because she was the woman in the house.
3. Hochschild argues that families create “myths” about their division of household labor. Describe the family myth created by Nancy and Evan Holt.
The family myth created by Nancy and Evan Holt was that women take a deeper interest than men in the problems of juggling work with family life which results in stress that women take out on their husbands. Most men unfortunately suffer the severe repercussion of what is a transitional phase of American family life. Because Nancy (Evan's wife and mother of their child) did so much work because she felt an obligation to, while Evan on the other hand did very little housework and played with his four-year old son Joey, at his convenience it created a and uneven platform in which Nancy did much more work then Evan did. Juggling the demands of work with family created much more stress for Nancy than Evan in that she did much more since she cared.
4. According to Hochschild, what is the purpose of family myths?
The purpose of family myths is so that couples can live with fairness in their relationships and to minimize conflict. Hoschschild shows how couples create family myths to live with inequality in their lives.
5. Was this reading surprising to you and why? How do you imagine you will divide family work (including child care) in your own marriage or cohabitation?
This reading wasn’t too surprising to me because it fits right into the social construct of how woman should be the primary caregivers and maintain the maintenance of the house instead of men and women have an equal share in the amount of work that needs to be done within the household.
When I start a family I plan to divide household labor and child care 50/50. On days I work more hours than my husband he will do the household chores and take care of the children and on days where he works more I will do the household work and take care of the children. If we happen to need outside help we will hire a nanny. On the weekends when we are off we will both spend times with the children and each other.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Assignment 6: Marriage
According to the reading by Julian Sanchez pp: 313-320 in your Risman text:
1) Identify one of the examples of ancient marriage described by the author and discuss how it differed from the "one man, one woman idea" of marriage
Ans: An example of the one of the ancient marriages described was that traditionally in Tibet prior to the Chinese occupation, about a quarter of marriages involved brother sharing one wife. To this day the Na people in southwestern China live not in couples but sibling clusters with groups of brothers and sisters collaboratively raising children conceived by the women during evening rendezvous with visitors. This differed from the “one man one woman idea” of marriage in that it had two brothers and one women joining together in union. So it was a marriage of more than two people.
2) Among which two groups has postponing marriage become the most likely? Why?
Poor women and middle class couples are postponing marriage because they want to be settled economically, begin their careers, and finish schooling before marriage. It is also mentioned that in particular, poor women have a fear of being economically dependent.
List all the wedding traditions in the clip.
Wedding Traditions included:
• Smashing of glass
• Signing of the ketubah
• Long white wedding dress for women
• Tradition of bad luck if the groom see’s the bride before the wedding in her dress.
• Man wears black tux
• Man sliding ring onto women’s finger
Choose one tradition and do a little research on-line - what is the history behind that tradition.
Write about a paragraph about the origin of the tradition and whether you will include this in your own wedding - if you plan on having one.
The breaking of the Jewish wedding glass is at the end of the Jewish wedding ceremony when the groom stomps on a glass to crush it and the guests shout, "Mazel Tov!" or "Siman Tov!"
There various interpretations of why breaking glass in Jewish wedding tradition came from. Here are a few of the most popular explanations:
• Temple: Breaking of the Jewish wedding glass is a reminder of the destruction of the Temples in Jerusalem.
• Superstitious: A loud noise is thought to drive away evil spirits.
• Sadness/Joy: A reminder that even in times of great joy that there is sadness. That life will bring sadness as well as joy.
• Hymen: A breaking of the glass represents symbolically the breaking of the hymen, and the consummation of the marriage.
• Fragile: The glass symbolizes the love and relationship of the couple and is fragile, so it must be cared for and not broken.
• Broken World: A reminder that although the couple came together as a single union, the world as a whole is broken and needs mending.
• Marriage is Forever: A broken Jewish wedding glass is forever changed, likewise, the couple are forever changed by the marriage and take on a new form.
• Be Fruitful: A hope that your happiness will be as plentiful as the shards of glassesor that your children will be as plentiful as the shards of glass.
I wouldn’t include this tradition in my wedding because I don’t really like some ideas in traditional weddings so I can see myself trying to do something away from tradition and more unique to my own style,taste, and preference. Another reason I wouldn’t break glass at my wedding is because I am not Jewish.
1) Identify one of the examples of ancient marriage described by the author and discuss how it differed from the "one man, one woman idea" of marriage
Ans: An example of the one of the ancient marriages described was that traditionally in Tibet prior to the Chinese occupation, about a quarter of marriages involved brother sharing one wife. To this day the Na people in southwestern China live not in couples but sibling clusters with groups of brothers and sisters collaboratively raising children conceived by the women during evening rendezvous with visitors. This differed from the “one man one woman idea” of marriage in that it had two brothers and one women joining together in union. So it was a marriage of more than two people.
2) Among which two groups has postponing marriage become the most likely? Why?
Poor women and middle class couples are postponing marriage because they want to be settled economically, begin their careers, and finish schooling before marriage. It is also mentioned that in particular, poor women have a fear of being economically dependent.
List all the wedding traditions in the clip.
Wedding Traditions included:
• Smashing of glass
• Signing of the ketubah
• Long white wedding dress for women
• Tradition of bad luck if the groom see’s the bride before the wedding in her dress.
• Man wears black tux
• Man sliding ring onto women’s finger
Choose one tradition and do a little research on-line - what is the history behind that tradition.
Write about a paragraph about the origin of the tradition and whether you will include this in your own wedding - if you plan on having one.
The breaking of the Jewish wedding glass is at the end of the Jewish wedding ceremony when the groom stomps on a glass to crush it and the guests shout, "Mazel Tov!" or "Siman Tov!"
There various interpretations of why breaking glass in Jewish wedding tradition came from. Here are a few of the most popular explanations:
• Temple: Breaking of the Jewish wedding glass is a reminder of the destruction of the Temples in Jerusalem.
• Superstitious: A loud noise is thought to drive away evil spirits.
• Sadness/Joy: A reminder that even in times of great joy that there is sadness. That life will bring sadness as well as joy.
• Hymen: A breaking of the glass represents symbolically the breaking of the hymen, and the consummation of the marriage.
• Fragile: The glass symbolizes the love and relationship of the couple and is fragile, so it must be cared for and not broken.
• Broken World: A reminder that although the couple came together as a single union, the world as a whole is broken and needs mending.
• Marriage is Forever: A broken Jewish wedding glass is forever changed, likewise, the couple are forever changed by the marriage and take on a new form.
• Be Fruitful: A hope that your happiness will be as plentiful as the shards of glassesor that your children will be as plentiful as the shards of glass.
I wouldn’t include this tradition in my wedding because I don’t really like some ideas in traditional weddings so I can see myself trying to do something away from tradition and more unique to my own style,taste, and preference. Another reason I wouldn’t break glass at my wedding is because I am not Jewish.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)