There is a gradual sharing of gender roles within the family Essay Example for Free

There is a gradual sharing of gender roles within the family Essay Functionalism theories argue that society shapes its men and women into different spheres, these differences can be seen as functional to the maintenance of social stability and harmony. Functionalist argue that the traditional view of family in Britain was that of the Nuclear family, this was one in which married women were seen as housewives, they performed the domestic tasks and cared for their children. Their husbands were seen as naturally assertive the dominant male, the bread-winner and perform economically supportive tasks. Edmund Lech (1967) termed this view of the family as The Cereal Pack Norm, and criticised â€Å"the lawdry secrets† of the nuclear family. This view of gender roles and the family is a debate shared by many theorists. Young and Willmott (1973) accepted the view of the nuclear family and announced the arrival of the symmetrical family. They suggested that there was a movement towards symmetry, meaning joint conjugal roles, a sense of balance between the duties of gender tasks within the family. Conjugal roles can be jointly carried out, segregated or integrated. Ann Oakley (1974) and other feminists disagreed that conjugal roles were joint but were socially constructed, after the industrial revolution new laws were brought out restricting women and children’s working hours. Women were forced to become housewives and mothers, men were seen as the macho male. Some feminist theories suggest that society is patriarchal, a system of male power and control. Feminists argue women are pushed to the margins of an industrial economy by male dominated institutions, suggesting males are therefore insured power and authority with in gender roles and the family. The Media made many references to the New Man; this was a term applied to those men who have allegedly moved away from the stereotype image of the macho male, they allowed their natures to be more expressive, and would also share domestic and child-care tasks. Is this New Man a reality or a myth? Gender roles within the family our gradually changing but to what extent are male and female roles egalitarian? Young and Willmott (1973) published research findings, which suggested that the symmetrical family was now the typical family form in Britain. 72% of men were helping in the house and spending the equivalent amount of time on home-related tasks. It was found that gender roles did exist with more equality than in the past. Decisions about family life were shared moving towards more integrated conjugal roles. Ann Oakley (1974) criticised this as she found that full time housewives spent 77 hours a week on housework, she dismissed the caring sharing role of the new man. Ann Oakley disputed Young and Willmott’s methods claiming they were biased, as the only question they asked was, do you help at least once a week with any household tasks like washing dishes, making beds, ironing or cleaning. The answer given could overstate the amount of domestic labour that was actually being carried out. A man ironing a shirt once a week was hardly a big contribution to the sharing of gender roles. Oakley’s research showed a clear division in labour as regards to housework, she interviewed forty women with children under the age of five from different social class backgrounds, her research showed a clear division in labour with women spending more time n housework 77 hours and 30 % of men contributed to childcare tasks. Males were helping more with the children, gender identities were starting to evolve. There is evidence that there is a gradual move towards integrated roles and equality Devine (1992) carried out a small study of car workers it showed that men’s contribution to domestic labour increased when their wives re-entered paid employment. It is suggested this only came secondary above all women still remained responsible for childcare and housework. In the same year Gershuny’s research revealed a gradual increase of domestic labour tasks done by men when the wife was is in full time employment ,thus a gradual move to equality. The changing roles perspectives assume a gradual sharing of gender roles within the family. In recent years there has been a wider acceptance of these interchangeable gender roles. Seven out of ten women with children under the age of five are now in employment. The Equal Opportunities Commission show a Surprising 36% of couple’s say that the man is the main carer. Paid employment would seem to empower women within the family. However in more recent years The N. I. Social Attitudes survey (1994) and The N. I. Life and Times Survey (1998) show that even when women were in paid employment, the self reported hours on household and the provision of childcare tasks were greatly divided, with women carrying out 17. 15.hours of housework compared with men’s contribution to only 5. 92 hours. DETI (2003) also show inequalities with 69% of women without children working outside the home, these figures drop to 50% when women have three or more children, suggesting that women still primarily see childcare as their responsibility. O’Brien and Shernit (2002) in their study for Equal Opportunities Commission in Britain suggest that fathers are less likely to avail of family friendly working policies that are in place. The Family Policy Studies centre showed reports of new manism were greatly exaggerated with 90% of women still working part time. This also shows an imbalance, suggesting that women carry the dual burden of work. Research points towards women still suffering gender inequalities within the family. There is evidence that even while working women still have the burden of emotional and domestic work. In (1993) Duncombe and Marsden research revealed gender inequalities in power and domestic responsibilities. They add to their finding that women believe they make the primary ‘emotional investment’ in the family and marriage. Many of their female respondents complained that their husbands were indifferent to their role in holding the relationship together. In other words women are frequently responsible for the ‘triple shift’ meaning outside work, housework and all emotional work. Thus women suffered what they termed as emotional loneliness it was suggested men would rather bring in a wage as supposed to give emotional fulfilment. They were hesitant to discuss or show their feelings of love for their partner. Men did not recognise that emotion work was needed to keep a relationship together. Women’s larger involvement in emotion work can be a major dimension of gender inequalities in couple relationships. Edgell’s study in (1980) showed an imbalance when it came to power more important decisions were more likely to be taken by men. It was suggested that when it came down to important decisions like buying a house, car or other financial decisions the men had the power and authority they were the hierarchy the dominant male. Women may have had decisions on trivial things such as what colour she was going to paint the house or how much she was going to spend on the children’s clothing or the shopping. When it came to major decisions women views were secondary, gendered roles were segregated, men had the dominant role and the decisions of power. Domestic violence is another key element to conjugal roles; many radical feminists say that patriarchy still exists within married and cohabiting couples. The family statistics show that domestic violence accounts for a quarter of a percent of all assaults in the UK. Also one quarter of all women in the world experience this. Debash and Debash argued that wife beating was an extension of the husbands control over his wife. These percentages suggest that men used violence to gain authority over their partners. This may be misrepresented as not all assaults are reported and men also can be victims of domestic violence. In the 1970’s the feminist movement brought equality issues forward. The Sex Discrimination Act (1975) and the Equal Pay Act (1970) were introduced these acts were a product and a cause of more women working. These acts led to some women to reject the traditional housewife role and encouraged them to have fewer children and put a career first. Women’s roles started to have more of an equal status to that of her male partner. Feminists like Ann Oakley criticised Young and Willmott’s view of the symmetrical family and joint conjugal roles she thought they were biased and used incorrect methodology. Although Oakley’s own research found a gradual sharing in childcare tasks, women were still predominately responsible for housework. Feminists argue men seem to have less emotion work, more power and authority thus they benefit more from family life. Duncombe and Marsden and Edgell’s research back this theory up. Functionalists like Young and Wilmott (1973) and the Media suggest that gender roles are becoming more integrated. Devine and Gershuny’s research in (1992) suggest there is some evidence to a small move towards egalitarian relationships, with men contributing more when their wives were employed. Evidence from the Equal Opportunities Commission show a staggering 36% of males are now the main carer, this sharing of child-care presents us with evidence to a degree the new man exists. Gender roles are changing with more women joining the labour force and male attitudes towards are sharing of domestic labour are gradually becoming egalitarian. Sociologists and theorists in the 21st century argue that perceptions of gender roles within family and diversity have changed cross culturally and within societies, they suggest new families and gender roles are starting to emerge.

Management of a 40 Acre Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) Stand in Southern Michigan for Sustained Production of Sawtimber. :: Ecology Sugar Maple Trees Essays

Management of a 40 Acre Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) Stand in Southern Michigan for Sustained Production of Sawtimber Sugar maple (Acer saccharum) is a hard maple used primarily for its lumber and sap. In fact, 9% of the hardwood sawtimber volume in the U.S. comes from this species (5). My client would like to begin extracting sawtimber from her 40 acre maple-dominated stand that has been unmanaged to this point. She sees a market for her sawtimber in the regional flooring industry, but would also like to manage for sustained yield. The sugar maple needs a cool, moist climate in which to grow, and my client ¡Ã‚ ¯s stand in southern Michigan is well within its natural range. The Lake States in general have the following habitat characteristics optimal for the sugar maple (5): . temperatures averaging 00 to 600 F, . precipitation averaging 15 (west) to 40 (east) inches per year, . a growing season of 80 to 260 days, . well-drained, loam soils, . elevations up to 1,600 ft., and . associated Beech, Basswood, Yellow Birch, and Red Spruce trees. Under these conditions, the sugar maple is commonly the dominant species, because it is so shade tolerant. Its seedlings are aggressive under the canopy ¡Ã‚ ¯s shade and restrict the establishment of other species (11). Natural sugar maple regeneration is typically sufficient for this reason, and the selection harvesting system is commonly chosen. I will now describe characteristics of various sugar maple growth stages, beginning with the seed stage. Seed The sugar maple is a very prolific seed producer. It produces a good seed crop every two to five years and can disperse 8.56 million samaras per acre in a virgin stand or 4.3 million in a selectively cut stand during an exceptional year (5). This is a large number, but only about 1 in 100 of these seeds will reach the seedling stage because of mortality, predation, competition, and the very low light levels in a sugar maple stand. Artificial regenerative measures are usually unnecessary in places such as the Lake States where the sugar maple grows naturally. A sugar maple tree begins seed production between the ages of 40 and 60, with the best seed coming near ages 70 to 100 (9). My client ¡Ã‚ ¯s stand should be producing adequate seed, as the oldest age class is over 100 years old. The seed that is produced has a high germination capacity of 95% (5).

Madness in Hamlet Essay

The theme of madness in Hamlet has been a widely popular topic in the discussion of the play by both critics and readers alike. Prince Hamlet, in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, is not mad, in terms of sanity. However, he is very mad, in terms of anger, at many of the people that surround him. Hamlet is mainly mad at Gertrude her mother and, most of all Claudius. Although he is extremely angry with Claudius and his own whole situation of his father being murdered; his mother marrying his father’s murderer; and his lady friend not talking to him, Hamlet remains sane in order to carry out his plan of revenge. The madness that has appeared to grip Hamlet is an act played out by him. In order to accomplish that act of revenge on his uncle, Hamlet must have pretended to be mad so that the people of the court would not look upon him with suspicion. In this play the tragic hero Hamlets contemplates his own concept of moral judgment and in the process, maybe considered mad. Points that suggest that Hamlet is actually insane are scattered throughout the play but many of these are court’s impression of Hamlet. The impression of the court is a false impression because Hamlet has made the members of the court think that he is mad so that he may carry out his master plan. Hamlet is a slyer and more deceptive character than most critics give credit. All of the evidence that points to Hamlet being mad is just a cover for Hamlet in the grand scheme that he has placed together. Hamlet’s appearance of being â€Å" ungartered† (Act 2, Sc 1 . 77), as well as his strange words and phrases are just a disguise. He succeeds in his convincing of the people that he is mad because Polonius, as well as the rest of the court, speaks on his strange behavior. Hamlet’s plan could then be carried out if he was not seen as a threat to the crown. It is interesting to note other characters in the play acting mad. One is Leartes. Unlike Hamlet, Laertes has developed a different kind of madness, a madness that is controlled by revenge. When Laertes is talking to Claudius, Laertes gets so much revenge building up inside him against Hamlet that Laertes now wants to â€Å"cut his throat† Act 4, Sc 7, 125). Laertes’ behavior is caused by the sudden death of his father who was without a due ceremony, and his sister who has been driven mad, has contributed to the madness that is being built up inside Laertes. This madness grows even stronger when Claudius promises â€Å"no wind of blame† (Act 4, Sc 7, 66), when Hamlet kills Hamlet. Claudius turns Laertes into a savage beast to avenge for his father’s death, perhaps this is what Claudius has planned all along. Laertes has a form of madness that is escalating because Laertes knows that he has the capabilities and motivation to act on what he believes on. Ophelia on the other hand, had a unique form of madness unlike Hamlet’s and Laertes’ because it is a mixture of love and hate. An example of hate is when she sings about a â€Å"baker’s daughter† (Act 4, Sc. 5. 42). Ophelia is referring to the way her father used to treat her before the tragic incident of his death. A love with her madness is when she speaks about the vents on â€Å"valentine’s day (Act 4, Sc. 5. 48). When Ophelia speaks about Valentine’s Day, she is referring to the event of romance that she was denied. Ophelia’s madness is brought on by her lack of being able to demonstrate any maturity in trying to cope with her losses and in return can only inflict her madness on the court. Hamlet immediately stresses that his madness is a mask put upon him by himself when he stated, â€Å"†¦. to put an antic disposition on† (Act 1, Sc. 5. 72). This means that Hamlet was going to put on an appearance of being mad. He admitted to himself that he was not mad by saying this and that he was only going to pretend to be mad. If Hamlet openly admits his true intentions to himself, we must trust that his actions are part of his plan. Although, many things lead us to believe that Hamlet was actually mad, he says his behavior is intentional, and there is no hard evidence to prove otherwise. We can look at his actions and assume that he is mad, but the only real proof of his sanity is his own statement. Hamlet directly tells the readers that he is only pretending to be crazy. Therefore, all the evidence that points to Hamlets as being crazy is unreliable, because his actions are pretended. Hamlet gives the audience the appearance that he is hesitant to kill Claudius for many reasons. These reasons include moral issues, religious issues, and depression; yet, Hamlet waits because he chooses to do so. Hamlet gives proof of his intention to wait when he says, â€Å"The time is out of joint; O cursed spite that ever I was born to set it right† (Act 1 Sc 5. 189-190). He is saying that the time to take revenge was not immediately after the murder. Hamlet, therefore, pretends to be mad, in order to maintain safety while he waits for the right time to strike. Although Hamlet manages to convince the court that he is unstable long enough so that he may avoid being killed while formulating his plan of revenge, Claudius becomes suspicious of his behavior. Even Claudius questions Hamlet’s supposed madness. Claudius states,† Was not like madness. There is something in his soul† (Act 3, Sc1. 172). This statement proves that someone besides Hamlet realizes that he is not actually mad, but rather, there is method to his mayhem. Near the end of the play, Hamlet, again, reveals his plan of disguise. This time, however, he reveals his plan to Gertrude when he says, â€Å"That I essentially am not in madness, but mad in craft† (Act 3. Sc4. 187-188). This repetition of his plan proves that Hamlet was truly not mad but just so precise and specific in planning every detail of his elaborate scheme that he seemed mad to the people in the court. He was so â€Å"Mad in craft† that he went to the extremes in executing his plan of revenge. Hamlet was so furious with Claudius, that he engulfed himself in his plan and carried it out right down to the words he spoke and every little action he did. In conclusion, Hamlet avoids allowing everyone know that he is planning hostile actions against Claudius. Even though Claudius and Polonius suspect that Hamlet knows the truth behind the murder of King Hamlet, Hamlet is able to disguise his intentions of revenge long enough so that he may wait for the right time to strike. The only proof that Hamlet is actually insane comes in the form of his actions and speech. Now, if Hamlet specifically says that his actions and speech is just a disguise, can they be used as evidence that he is unstable? Certainly not. Hamlet’s madness was an act; a disguise to draw attention away from his vengeful plan to murder Claudius for enough time to allow Hamlet to wait for the right time to strike. Hamlet must wait for the right time to act and plan his revenge, so, what better way to reduce his threat to Claudius than to make everyone believe that he had lost his mind.

Modeling Meiosis Lab Lesson Plan

Sometimes students struggle with some concepts that relate to evolution. Meiosis is a somewhat complicated process, but necessary to mix up genetics of offspring so natural selection can work on a population by choosing the most desirable traits to be passed down to the next generation. Hands-on activities can help some students grasp the concepts. Especially in cellular processes when it is difficult to imagine something so small. The materials in this activity are common and easily found. The procedure does not  rely on expensive equipment like microscopes or take up a lot of space. Preparing for Modeling Meiosis Classroom Lab Activity Pre-Lab Vocabulary Before starting the lab, make sure students can define the following terms: MeiosisChromosomeCrossing OverHaploidDiploidHomologous PairGametesZygote Purpose of the Lesson To understand and describe the process of meiosis and its purpose using models.   Background Information   Most cells in multicellular organisms like plants and animals  are diploid. A diploid  cell has two sets of chromosomes that form homologous pairs.  A cell with only one set of chromosomes are considered haploid. Gametes, like the egg and sperm in humans, are examples haploid. Gametes fuse during sexual reproduction to form a zygote which is once again diploid with one set of chromosomes from each parent. Meiosis  is a process that starts with one diploid cell and creates four haploid cells. Meiosis is similar to mitosis and must have the cells DNA replicate before it can begin. This creates chromosomes that are made up of two sister chromatids connected by a centromere. Unlike mitosis, meiosis requires two rounds of division to get half the number of chromosomes into all of the daughter cells.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Meiosis begins with meiosis 1 when homologous pairs of chromosomes will be split.  The stages of meiosis 1 are similarly named to the stages in mitosis and also have similar milestones: prophase 1: homologous pairs come together to form tetrads, nuclear envelope disappears, spindle forms (crossing over may also happen during this phase)metaphase 1: tetrads line up at the equator following the law of independent assortmentanaphase 1: homologous pairs are pulled aparttelophase 1: cytoplasm divides, nuclear envelope may or may not reform The nuceli now only have 1 set of (duplicated) chromosomes. Meiosis 2 will see the sister chromatids split apart. This process is just like mitosis. The names of the stages are the same as mitosis, but they have the number 2 after them (prophase 2, metaphase 2, anaphase 2, telophase 2). The main difference is that the DNA does not go through replication before the start of meiosis 2. Materials and Procedure You will need the following materials: String4 different colors of paper (preferably light blue, dark blue, light green, dark green)Ruler or Meter StickScissorsMarker4 paper clipsTape Procedure: Using 1 m piece of string, make a circle on your desk to represent the cell membrane. Using a 40 cm piece of string, make another circle inside the cell for the nuclear membrane.Cut 1 strip of paper that is 6 cm long, and 4 cm wide from each color of paper (one light blue, one dark blue, one light green, and one dark green) Fold each of the four strips of paper in half, lengthwise. Then place the folded strips of each color inside the nucleus to represent a chromosome before replication. The light and dark strips of the same color represent homologous chromosomes. At one end of the dark blue strip write  a large B (brown eyes) on the light blue make a lower case b (blue eyes). On the dark green at a tip write T (for tall) and on the light green write a lower case t (short)Modeling interphase: to represent DNA replication, unfold each paper strip and cut in half lengthwise. The two pieces that result from cutting each strip represent the chromatids. Attach the two identical chromati d strips at the center with a paperclip, so an X is formed. Each paper clip represents a centromere.4Modeling prophase 1:  remove the nuclear envelope and put it aside. Place the light and dark blue chromosomes side by side and the light and dark green chromosomes side by side.  Simulate crossing over by measuring and cutting a 2 cm tip for a light blue strip that includes the letters you drew on them earlier. Do the same with a dark blue strip. Tape the light blue tip to the dark blue strip and vice versa. Repeat this process for the light and dark green chromosomes.Modeling metaphase 1: Place four 10 cm strings inside the cell, so that two strings extend from one side into the center of the cell and two strings extend from the opposite side into the center of the cell. The string represents the spindle fibers. Tape a string to the centromere of each chromosome with tape. Move the chromosomes to the center of the cell. Make sure that the strings attached to the two blue chromos omes  come from opposite sides of the cell (same for the two green chromosomes).  Modeling anaphase 1: Grab onto the ends of the strings on both sides of the cell, and slowly pull the strings in opposite directions, so the chromosomes move to opposite ends of the cell.Modeling telophase 1: Remove the string from each centromere. Place a 40 cm piece of string around each group of chromatids, forming two nuclei. Place a 1 m piece of string around each cell, forming two membranes. You now have 2 different daughter cells. MEIOSIS 2 Modeling prophase 2: Remove the strings that represent the nuclear membrane in both cells. Attach a 10 cm piece of string to each chromatid.Modeling metaphase  2:   Move the chromosomes to the center of each cell, so they are lined up at the equator. Make sure the strings attached to the two strips in each chromosome come from opposite sides of the cell.Modeling anaphase  2: Grab onto the strings on both sides of each cell, and pull them slowly in  opposite directions. The strips should separate. Only one of the chromatids should have the paper clip still attached to it.Modeling telophase  2: Remove the strings and paper clips. Each strip of paper now represents a chromosome. Place a 40  cm. piece of string around each group of chromosomes, forming four nuclei. Place a 1m string around each cell, forming four separate cells with only one chromosome in each.    Analysis Questions Have students answer the following questions to understand the concepts explored in this activity. What process did you model when you cut the strips in half in interphase?What is the function of your paper clip? Why is it used to represent a centromere?What is the purpose of placing the light and dark strips of the same color side by side?How many chromosomes are in each cell at the end of meiosis 1? Describe what each part of your model represents.What is the diploid chromosome number of the original cell in your model? How many homologous pairs did you make?If a cell with a diploid number of 8 chromosomes undergoes meiosis, draw what  the cell looks like after Telophase 1.What would happen to an offspring if cells did not undergo meiosis before sexual reproduction?How does crossing over change diversity of traits in a population?Predict what would happen if homologous chromosomes did not pair in prophase 1. Use your model to show this.