Week 6, March 9

Dr. Yun ZHANG

In Search of the
Classic Traditional
Family: Family Values
in the US and China
Questions: How do you
understand the notion of
family in your culture? Do
you think the family values in
your culture have been
undergoing changes? How? 1
Todays Guiding Questions
How and why is the family
vital to both Chinese and
American cultures?
Why do some critics
believe that the traditional
American family image is a
myth?
What are the defining
features of the traditional
Chinese family?
Do you see any
resemblance or difference
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Family

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The Notion of Family
What is family?
Defined not so much by a
particular set of people but
by the quality of relationships
that bind them together.
A potent symbol in both
historical and contemporary
societies because it touches
emotional needs for both
intimate personal
attachments and a sense of
belonging to a larger
community.

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Family is NOT a
timeless notion.
The family, even within the
same culture, does not have
the same meaning or offer
the same timeless
experiences to its members.
It is important to challenge
the popular understanding
of the family as an
institution that is biologically
based, immutable, and
predictable with a more
culturally variable and
historically grounded view.
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Why is family important?
Family harmony and stability
constitute the basis for order and
control in the larger society.
The family is a haven in a heartless
world.
-The family is a realm of diffuse, enduring
solidarity, as opposed to the anxiety,
competitiveness, and achievement-
orientation of the occupational realm. The
family is a place where one is
unconditionally accepted, something almost
unknown in the worlds of business and
politics. (David Schneider, Raymond T.
Smith, Class Differences and Sex Roles
in American Kinship and Family
Structure, p. 103.)

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The Traditional American Family
The traditional American
family: a myth or a historical
fact?
No direct parallel, but did exist
shortly in American history--the first
two decades of the post World War II.
A myth: this model only existed
briefly and was atypical in American
history, therefore should not be
recalled as a tradition.
Mass media, such as TV shows,
movies, and advertisements, largely
contributed to the production of the
idealized traditional family.
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The nuclear family
an idealized model for the
traditional family; consists
of a father, a mother, and
the children; gender roles
are absolute.
presented as a strongly
bonded group managed
by a patriarch whose
authority is often absolute.
The family usually lives
together in relative
harmony and is cohesive
and geographically static.
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A 1950s TV show: Father Knows Best
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
O64pR4IfYB0

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Fixed gender roles
Women were expected to
stay at home and take care of
the kids while the husbands
went to work to financially
support the family.
The ideas of unconditional
love, attachment, nurturance,
and dependability that are
associated with the ideal
traditional family are
primarily aligned with the
female gender, and in
particular the role of the
mother.
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The Good Wife Guide 19 Rules
For Keeping a Happy Husband:
Make sure the house is spotless
before your husband is due to
arrive home.
If your husband forgets to call and
tell you hes going to be late,
dont make him feel worse by
giving him a hard time.
No matter how trying your day
may have been, dont burden him
with your trivial woes.
https
://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
DB5TOsS5EyI
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Contemporary American family
image: disputes the traditional
American family/ethnically, culturally
diverse within the family

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The Traditional Chinese
Family
The institution of
family is the pinnacle
of Chinese society.
Confucian doctrines of
family; extended, multi-
generational families;
hierarchical relationships;
arranged marriages;
absolute gender roles (with
occasional exceptions).
the patriarch: the father-
head of the household
the matriarch: with the
patriarch absent. 13
Filial piety
A key and widely upheld
virtue in traditional Chinese
culture.
Not only about showing
respects to parents when
they were alive, but also
associated with
worshipping them after
they died.
devotion to one's parents
was often associated with
one's devotion to the state.
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Women in the traditional
family
Women were generally in a
subordinated and submissive place.
(Three Obediences, Four Virtues
.)
confined to domestic arenas
(inner/outer divide)
Fixed roles: good wives and wise
mothers .

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Talented women as an
exception
highly educated; from
privileged elite families; noted
for their literary, poetic and
artistic excellence.
Not only in their conventional
roles as daughters, wives,
mothers, and household
managers, but also as
accomplished writers,
painters, and teachers.
Transcended geographical
boundaries as well.
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Family values are closely
associated with social changes at
different historical periods.
Both American and Chinese
traditional families have been
profoundly influenced by the
feminist movements.

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