1. GENDER COMMUNICATION IN
family
CMS 498 Alex Jaime

2. WHAT IS FAMILY?
Family is not just the location of interpersonal
relationships, but it is also a social institution that
genders its members. Family is organized along
these gendered lines by other social forces.

3. HOW SOCIETY IS INVOLVED
The way society communicates
about family has an influence
on the family’s structure and
how the institution structures
its members – it is all connected!

4. FAMILIES & GENDER
So now the question is 
How does the social institution of family
relate to gender diversity?

5. FAMILIES & GENDER
Families and gender are soconnected that it is
impossible to understand one without referring to
the other.
Families are organized by gender – for example, by the
roles of mother, father, daughter, son, sister, brother,
etc. An example of these roles are shown in the
picture in the next slide.

6. FAMILY GENDER ROLES

7. IMPACT
If you think about it, family really is the first encounter
one has in gaining information on gender. Growing
up, children are taught women and men have
different roles in the family structure and therefore
have different roles in society itself.

8. NUCLEAR FAMILY
What is a nuclear family and where did the concept
come from?
 A traditional nuclear family is composed of 2 parents, one
male and one female whom have biological children.
 The roles of the husband and wife are very different. The male
is the wage earner and the female is the homemaker.
 Along with the stereotypical notions of masculinity &
femininity, the nuclear family concept also emerged during the
Industrial Revolution.

9. NUCLEAR FAMILY
Currently, this type of institution is not the only
option. Family structures are changing and no longer
follow this exact path.
Why?
The nuclear family is NOT self-sufficient. Society -
friends, work, religion, schools, media, and law
influence family & the way gender is communicated
between its members.

10. COMMUNICATION
When communicating in these social institutions, it is
almost like a cycle.

11. COMMUNICATION
1) Society communicates to the family as a whole and
to the family’s individual members.
2) Then, there is communication that occurs within
the social institution itself, meaning between family
members.
3) The family as a whole communicates back to
society through their behavior and thoughts.

12. STAGE ONE
Society communicates to the family as a whole and to the family’s individual
members.
For example, if most of the popular television shows have
the male role provide the family with food on the table
and clothes on their back, this is society communicating
to the family that:
THIS IS NORMAL GENDER BEHAVIOR!!!

13. STAGE TWO
Then, there is communication that occurs within the social institution
itself, meaning between family members.
This is also where parent-child communication comes into play. Parents provide a
model for children’s gendered identities because children are closest to their
parents (as opposed to society’s influences) for a longer period of time. Children
are likely to model parent’s behavior if a) they admire the person they are
observing and b) if they are rewarded for the behavior. For example, if a child
admires the father who communicates extremely derogatory things to his or her
mother, the child may model that behavior in gender communication when he or
she is older.
When a family goes about their daily life schedule, they are subconsciously
communicating to each other. They communicate what is acceptable and what is
not. They communicate the roles in which they have and the roles that they may
wish they had. Communicating does not only mean speaking, it can also mean the
behavior and non-verbal communication.

14. STAGE THREE
The family as a whole communicates back to society through their
behavior and thoughts.
As stated in the previous slide, when a family goes about their daily life
schedule, they are subconsciously communicating BACK TO SOCIETY!
They communicate what is acceptable and what is not. They
communicate the roles in which they have and the roles that they may
wish they had. Communicating does not only mean speaking, it can also
mean the behavior and non-verbal communication.

15. Analysis & Discussion
Gender Communication in Family
Society has a large impact on the communication that is
involved in family structures. This is mainly because
gender roles are constructed through public discourse.
Society communicates the ways families “should” be and
then families communicate back to society with what
they actually are. Gender communication in families is a
cycle that is so broad yet so personalized at the same
time.
“Other things may change us, but we start and end with the family.”