Conflic Conflict Theory: The Struggle Between Men And Women

Unfortunately, our society is still very much a patriarchy. In general, men still hold more positions of power, and women are expected to fulfill the stereotypical roles of "wife" and "mother" over that of "breadwinner". Men are reluctant to give up their power in society as well as in the home, and by encouraging a woman to take her husband's name, society is encouraging a symbolic relinquishing of power from wife to husband. There are different schools of thought on why society perpetuates this behavior. One view is that of structural-functionalists, who believe that the organized division of labor by gender maintains a society's efficiency. They believe that when one knows his or her role in the family, family bonds are then strengthened. It is similar to many Christians' line of thinking that man should serve God, woman should serve man, children serve their parents. In turn, God provides for man, man provides for woman, woman provides for children. A man in this line of thinking may feel that once a woman takes his name, she is under his care, just as any future children that are born with his name.

Conflict theory gives the notion that the sexism in society is a way of minimizing competition for various resources such as jobs.

It is possible that by having a woman take his name, he is subjugating her to him so he is elevated in importance in a way that will translate professionally. If you notice, many women in positions of fame resist this by keeping their maiden names after marriage. Look at Beyonce Knowles for one, or Sarah Michelle Gellar. They have both maintained their identities. Many women will also hyphenate their name as a way to maintain their professional

appearance.

I think many people honestly engage in this practice without much thought now. But this chapter definitely makes one want to take a second look at this practice.