It's All in the Family: Intersections of Gender, Race, and Nation: Resisting Traditional Family Ideals

    

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    The term family values implies that the structure of a household includes a father figure who works to provide for his family and a wife who stays home to take care of her children. A traditional family also has the implication that gender roles are strictly adhered to, as it separates the duties of work for the man and household tasks for the women. These responsibilities are based on the social norms of heterosexual marriage. Family members create an identity together that is recognizable through geographical location and the neighborhood one lives in as a result of redlining or racial segregation. The intersectionality of gender and race can be seen through the traditional family ideals that impact social practices in the United States.

    The intersectionality of privilege within the family system can be seen through the naturalized hierarchy that inherently exists in a traditional household. While the traditional family ideal claims to be a representation of equality, in reality families are organized in a hierarchical system. The familial norms that each person within a family should exhibit depends on their gender, age, and affluence, and this hierarchy becomes accepted as a natural social organization. For example, it is assumed that the father will assume the patriarchal position as the authority figure in the house, and parents control many of their children’s actions which implements age as a factor in this social hierarchy. However, this structure fails to acknowledge the varying sexualities within a household which could impact some family member's places within this hierarchy, and it functions as a way to promote heterosexuality as the only option. The age and gender hierarchies are related to racial hierarchies, as ideologies that depict people of color as “underdeveloped, uncivilized children requires parallel ideas that construct Whites as intellectually mature, civilized adults” (Collins, 65). It was striking for me to notice the relation between the intersectionality of age, gender, and race on a smaller scale of a family unit and connect those same principles to a much larger scale of the social hierarchies in the United States as a whole. I never thought about how our country could be pictured as a national family that is run based on the traditional family ideals, as this reflects the societal norm of heterosexual, white men occupying the highest levels of public spaces.

    The concept of the home as a neighborhood or native country was an interesting example of intersectionality, as Americans often place a great deal of importance on having one's own space for security and privacy. These homes provide sanctuary for other members that belong to the same group, but they can also become gendered. An example of this is the idea that women should remain in their homes to do household duties while avoiding public spaces that men occupy (Collins, 67). Homes can also become racialized spaces, as neighborhoods are radically unequal based on geographical location, access to resources, and the lasting effects of Jim Crow-era laws that prevent mobility from one neighborhood or social class to another. This is important to notice because many of the oppressive situations that minorities face are based on the consequences of redlining or physical segregation that leads to social segregation and economic inequalities.

    The idea that traditional family ideals issue a sense of responsibility to protect family members relates to the responsibilities that are associated with one's race or blood ties, such as paying taxes for one's community members (Collins, 72). Ideals concerning family and race emphasize the disparity in privileges and obligations within the United States education system. African-American children are more likely to attend vulnerable, underfunded schools compared to white children who often attend affluent schools with greater resources. This goes back to my earlier point of how systemic racism often stems from physical housing segregation or redlining, as school taxes pay for the educational resources that a community will have and this reinforces a cycle of poverty along with a lack of social mobility. Structural racism within the educational system disproportionately impacts marginalized people, as the larger institutions of schools or educational boards that create standardized curricula are against them. The systemic oppression of black people includes various factors such as inadequate food access, greater policing of black communities, redlining or housing disadvantages, and other forms of covert and overt racism that can be traced back to the physical separation of family units and neighborhoods.

    It is clear that family ideals hold an important place in society, so completely rejecting them may be an ineffective approach for those who are trying to dismantle the hierarchies within the family system. However, since family values are major contributing factors that impact the intersectionality within hierarchical organizations, these same ideals could also challenge the very hierarchy that they support. The language African-American individuals use when they speak to strangers is an example of resisting traditional family ideals, as they refer to new people as "brother" or "sister" to create a sense of family or community even if they are not related by blood. This dismantles the typical nuclear family ideal and it creates solidarity among black people in a way that makes white people "the outsiders" (Collins, 78). By making whites the outcasts, this also challenges the typical family ideal hierarchy related to race that historically gives white people the advantage of a privileged position. When it comes to feminism, my personal opinion on taking down these familial hierarchies would be to focus on intersectional feminism that aims to understand how a person's gender, race, sex, sexuality, disabilities, and class impact their privilege and discrimination. This is a form of resistance as it would include women of color or transgender women who may have previously felt as though they do not belong in feminist spaces as a result of the sense of family within feminist movements that can be intimidating or seem exclusive. It is evident that Black nationalist and feminist movements have tried to challenge social inequalities by subtly dismantling the traditional aspects of families that result in disparities, but I think individuals can take action or make other changes to help this cause as well.

    Transforming the concept of family begins with resisting the ideas of heteronormativity, white normativity, and gender roles within the traditional family system. I think this resistance should begin in the thoughts or assumptions society has about nuclear families that should be somewhat affluent and live in a suburban area, and these assumptions are reinforced by the media we consume. Ensuring that there is representation of single mothers, biracial families, heterosexual couples, transgender individuals, stepsiblings, and children with disabilities in television shows or movies could help to destroy the narrative that there is only one type of "normal" or "correct" family structure. I think resistance can also occur through the parenting of children, as parents who continually encourage their kids to reject gender stereotypes from a young age can weaken the power of gender roles in society. Encouraging girls to pursue careers in the STEM field or telling boys that it is okay to pursue fashion or baking would also be a way to destroy the gender roles associated with a family unit. Raising black children to understand that they are not intellectually inferior to white children and investing extra money or resources into underprivileged black and brown communities could help to bridge the educational gap between races. When children see their fathers cook, clean, do laundry and take care of them in equal or even greater amounts (if the husband is a stay at home father while the wife works longer hours) to their mothers, that disrupts the hierarchy of women staying home while men go to work within the traditional family. I think this type of active, purposeful resistance would be effective as people are choosing partners that they love despite racial differences or pursuing their ambitions despite societal gender roles. Changing the narrative is an important aspect of resistance, and I think exemplifying these choices and being proud of nontraditional family units in one's social circles or communities is an effective way to spread a new message.