Assignment 3

1. The "instrumental leader" is one that focuses on accomplishing the tasks they are given, they are usually motivated individuals that are extremely goal oriented. Many times there isn't anything that can stop them from achieving their goals, they will either work with others or by themselves however they tend to be controlling when working with others. The "expressive leader" inspires a friendly environment, warmer relationships and a level of concern for the group they are working with, which is a characteristic that "instrumental leaders" lack. This leader definitions were connected with specific family roles of the 1950's. The article states that in the 1950's the husband would be the "instrumental leader" since he was the one that provided the family with a steady income and was also the main decision maker in the family. Furthermore the wife and mother would be the "expressive leader" since she provided the emotional support for her husband and children. Today, both husbands and wives are having to share the roles of being an instrumental and expressive leader. 


2. The main demographic change during the 1960's and 1970's was an increasingly large amount of women beginning to work outside of their home. Since more and more women began to provide financial for their family this led theorists to be critical of the functionalist perspective; men were no longer the only ones that would fall into the "instrumental leader" category. 


3. The main theme of conflict theory is the study of power, particularly examining the inequality of power between two group or individuals. Those who study conflict theory want to better understand why certain groups and individuals are more powerful and dominant than others. In the functionalist theory, theorist would believe that the person who had most of the power would be the bread-winner which use to always be the man. However, in todays families the power is more equally spread and men are no longer always dominant over women. Nevertheless there are still examples of power inequalities in todays society. In corporations there is a head of a company that has power to control managers and other employees.  

4. Exchange theory states that people are "rational beings", this means that they are able to decide whether or not they want to exchange certain things depending on what they would gain from the exchange. This theory shows that people are capable of weighing the pros and cons of their decisions. This is also true in relationships, many times men and women are looking for certain factors in their partner. For example, some women want their  husband to provide for them financially while they fulfill the role of caretaker, however other women look for a husband that is willing to provide emotional support and be the caretaker while they financial support the family. 

5. Feminist theory is based on the main idea of gender and how men and women are different from each other; these differences are not based on those that are seen at birth. The article states that this theory focuses on the "socially and culturally constructed differences"


6.
A) Are female children closer with their mothers or their father?

B) I would study this at the micro level.

C) I would utilize methods of sampling specifically questionnaires and interviews with the female children.

D) I would want about 40 female children in my study, 20 would be 5-9 years old and the other 20 would be 13-16 years old. These different age ranges would show if their feeling towards their parents changes with age.

E) Do you spend more time with your mother or your father? Do your interaction between your mother and father differ? What are some activities that you like to do with each of your parents?