Women have important roles to fulfill in their families. Their duties have been influenced by culture, myth and society norms. Today, their roles have evolved into a range of responsibilities. Contrary to many stereotypes in most societies that portray women as individuals who can only do house work and take care of their children, women have so many duties to perform. In fact, women are not any different from men because they can perform any duty that people believe is reserved for men. The notion that women can only perform house work while men are breadwinners for their families are not true and must be discarded.
One of the roles of a woman in a family is to be a wife. Women were created to be man’s companion. This purpose was intended specifically because no other animal in the universe was worth being a companion of man. Furthermore, the roles of a wife are different from those of a husband. A wife is supposed to be submissive, not inferior, to her husband. She needs to take proper care of her family responsibly and to complement their husband who is the head of the family. Therefore, as a wife, a woman must fulfill duties bestowed on her by God such as keeper of the home, providing companionship and affection for their husbands, satisfy their husbands’ needs and bear children.
Another major duty bestowed on women is that of being a mother to her children and those children in need. Women spend more time with their young ones as compared to their husbands. Therefore, they are responsible for bringing up their children to be responsible, disciplined, obedient and hardworking people. This is because mothers have great influence over their children and must use that opportunity to make the children good and productive individuals. Mothers must also provide a good example for their young by showing them diligence, righteousness and love. This ensures that the children have a proper upbringing and experience motherly care and love until they are grown enough to be on their own.
The third role that women are expected to fulfill is one of being a keeper of her home. Women are supposed to be responsible and ensure that everything in her house is properly attended to and that her home stays peaceful and stable. Women are usually expected to fulfill most of the house chores. This has been like a role given to her by society. Every woman must fulfill her duties in the home diligently because this is an honorable thing to do. However, a woman’s first priority must be to keep her house peaceful and stable. This involves treating her husband and children in a manner that will not cause havoc, tension or suspicion.
The responsibility of the woman must be demonstrated in her determination to ensure that each of her responsibilities is attended. She must demonstrate her diligence by ensuring her loved ones are not neglected, or taken care of by maids. She must demonstrate her managerial skills within her home by prioritizing and planning how her home is run.
With the evolution of cultural and social structures, women have assumed a more central role in family than in traditional times. There are women who now head their own families, for instance single mothers. These women perform the role of a woman as well as those of the man. In such a case, the woman is the bread winner, brings up her children and performs any other duty that would have been fulfilled by a man. It is this kind of change in society that has proved that women can be as good as men. This is what sparked the equality debate that has seen women demand equal treatment as men. This is because they know their abilities are the same as those of men.
Earlier on, women were thought to be weak and academically unfit hence; they were left to fulfill their duties and wives and mothers only. However, currently there are learned women who defied all odds by achieving what was thought to be reserved for men. Now there are women who hold top corporate and government jobs and demonstrate high standards of professionalism. They have turned into breadwinners for their families and still managed to attend to their families capably.
Women have a lot of potential in fulfilling family roles. Their opinions on family issues are important because they understand their families better and provide a good link between children and their father. Their ability to communicate efficiently gives them opportunity to be peace makers, inspirational figures and guardians for their families. Therefore, women can use their positions as wives, mothers, breadwinners, motivators, house chore workers, and coordinators to make their families better each day. The role of women in family is more than the cultural stereotypes; they are integral family members whose roles cannot be covered by anyone else. Some research indicates that while women can cover up for men’s roles in family, men cannot cover for women’s roles. This just illustrates how important women are to family and society.
Therefore, the role of women in family can be said to be significant in the success of that family. Their roles keep broadening with changes in time and culture. Women have kept on demonstrating their ability to go beyond society’s expectations just to make their loved ones feel comfortable. Factors like education, social history, parental responsibility, employment, divorce, social changes and family roles are responsible for the ever changing roles of women in their families. However, it is encouraging that women can demonstrate strong character and will to cover for more responsibilities that society had earlier on reserved for men.
Works Cited
Barrett, Mary and Ken Moores. Women in Family Business Leadership Roles: Daughters on the Stage. New York: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2009.
Maul, Kristina. The Role of Women in Native American Societies. New York: GRIN Verlag, 2007.
Sudha, D K. Gender Roles. New York: APH Publishing, 2000.
