Introduction
Social media shows have impacted how individuals view the world, communicate, and interact. Viewers who watch comedies, soaps, and love stories develop similar views that influence gender roles and values. This can be observed in many TV shows, such as Leave It to Beaver and The Simpsons, which demonstrate a typical family that is either extraordinarily flawless or incredibly dysfunctional. Leave It to Beaver is one of my favorite family shows, and I would like to talk about the gender and family values it may promote.
Portrayal of Family, Marriage, and Gender Roles
Characters
Leave It to Beaver is a television comedy show centered on the Cleaver family living in the fictional town of Mayfield. Wally and Theodore, or “Beavers,” are the family’s two sons. The show focuses on the experiences of Beaver, a young and mischievous boy who often gets into trouble at home, school, and in the neighborhood. His mistakes are often seen as humorous and charming. The show also features Beavers’ friends, Larry, Gilbert, Whitney, and Beaver’s teachers.
The Head of the House
Traditional gender roles are observed in “Leave It to Beaver” in various ways. Ward, the head of the house, is the breadwinner and a hardworking white-collar worker. He states he is an engineer with experience in military engineering. As the backbone of the family, Ward is a loving and supportive father who is always there for his children and willing to give them advice when needed. He sets a good role model for his children.
A Housewife
On the other hand, June is the household matriarch; she stays home, i.e., a full-time homemaker. She cooks for the family, does housekeeping, and is the family’s caregiver. June loves her children and wants only the best for them. For instance, she does not trust Uncle Billy because he fills their heads with fancies of irresponsible living.
Children
Wally and Beaver often play and explore with their friends (Coontz, 2020). Wally is in high school, five years older than Beaver, and is always there for his brother. He puts communications from the parents in a kid’s language and acts as a bridge between his parents and Beaver. Beaver, the naughty boy, often learns from guidance on responsibility and morality.
Summary
Leave It to Beaver is an excellent example of a traditional, stable nuclear family. The marriage depicted is a monogamous heterosexual marriage. Ward and June have unconditional love for one another. This is constantly shown through their support for each other. They also work together and are devoted to providing their kids with a healthy and loving home.
Conclusion
Overall, Leave It to Beaver is a great show that serves as the best example of how a marriage should be. The show teaches lessons to kids and parents in a humorous manner on how they should behave. It depicts a family in a positive light, driven by the power of communication and love. Gender roles are portrayed positively and demonstrate how specialization can benefit the family (Curme et al., 2019).
However, it doesn’t give a realistic picture of families; hence, unrealistic expectations are created in the viewers’ minds, and they often see themselves as inadequate. The program does not depict various family types in the real world, including extended families, same-sex couples, and blended couples. Divorce and cohabitation in terms of relationships are common in modern family dynamics, which seems prohibited; the show perfectly represents how things have changed from the traditional family to the modern family with blended families.
References
Coontz, S. (2020). ‘Leave it to Beaver’ and ‘Ozzie and Harriet’: American families in the 1950s. A Geographical Reader Edited By Linda McDowell, 22–32. Web.
Curme, P., Schwieters, K., & Kleyman, K. S. (2019). From Leave it to Beaver to Modern Family: The influence of family structure on adoption attitudes. Journal of Prevention & Intervention in the Community, 48(4), 365–381. Web.