TV Dads

Women in the world have come a long way in the past 40 years. They are more respected in society and more importantly, the workplace. With this new found opportunity and responsibility, there has been a shift in household roles. The television industry believes in this shift and portrays it frequently. It is not uncommon to see a T.V. dad who makes dinner and cleans up the kitchen (Hill 1). The world has come a long way since shows like "Father Knows Best" and "Leave It To Beaver" where the father figure was the pure source of authority and power. Now that role in the family seems to be shared among both parents depicting the reality of today's world. According to Stephen Jay Gould, biological evolution happens quickly when a quality of the species is radically modified (Hill 1). This same concept can be applied to social evolution. Men are increasingly having their roles in the household changed due to the constant rise in women's social equality. The time away from home that women are now experiencing is taking a toll on both their motherhood and marriage. Divorce rates have increased along with the number of common-law relationships (Hill 1). Though there are some negatives, many men have embraced their roles as a new type of father. The world is moving in a specific direction and the television industry has been the first one to pick up on it.
The roles of mothers and fathers have clearly been altered throughout the years. In television alone it is evident how these roles in the house have changed. If you watch an episode of "That 70's Show" (a show depicting the 70's as you can imagine) it is easy to see how the father figure was the "head honcho" of the house. He would have "his" chair that no one else could sit in. There would be "his" shows that when were on had to be watched; no exceptions. And there was always the old, "everything he says goes." Things since then have indeed changed and T.V. is trying to show that movement in time. Television shows today such as "Two and a Half Men" include a father figure who takes on the more motherly roles in a relationship. On a daily basis he will make his son lunch and provide him with the careful authority that a mother would give. The stereotypical father figure is played by the child's uncle. This character, like older generic father figures, gives the child insight on women and how to "be a man." Another important aspect of this show is that the child is a normal pre-teen. That preaches an important lesson that this new age of new roles in the household can be successful. Things to not have to be the way they were in order to work. Television provides us with a sense of comfort of even if we do not have the most typical of families, things can still work out just fine.
The future holds an array of changes to come. Whether its flying cars or the role reversal of men and women, things are going to change. The thing we must do is prepare for this type of alteration. T.V shows and programs have already started the preparation of this change by introducing a different type of T.V. dad. This new type of fatherhood is one without "insensitivity, self-absorption, and bungling around in the kitchen"(Hill 1). All we must do now is accept this reality of society and allow television to give us the proper insight we need.