Social Roles Theory
According to social roles theory, the reason for gender differences in social behavior is the way that our culture socialized boys vs. girls. The theory says that a person has characteristics that are associated with either males or females, but not both. Eaglys work on social roles essentially explains the primary reasons for gender stereotypes
Assignment:
At various times of the year (e.g. holidays, vacations) when we tend to gather with family members, it presents an opportunity to observe the roles that men and women play as part of the gathering.
Take some time to observe and reflect on who does what during the gathering: the cooking, cleaning, taking out the garbage, who sits where (head of the table), who watches football and may not help as much as others, who talks about what (jobs, politics, etc) and any other activities that could be perceived as part of any social gender behavior.
During this time (or afterwards), informally interview any ONE member of your family and ask about the social gender roles in your family from their perspective and compare/contrast with your own observations. Ask this person about their experiences growing up and who did what and how gender roles/stereotypes played a part (if it did) in their household. Discuss any gender expectations, limitations and how this may compare/contrast with your experience as you grew up and what you perceive these social gender roles to be today in your family structure.
Summarize your observations, interviews and compare/contrast discussions in a 2 page response paper.