Sociological Imagination Analysis

This sociological analysis will define the role of sociological imagination when defining the social conflict of submissive female genders in the modern institution of marriage. Mills’ (1959) theory of sociological imagination defines the broader gender values that affect the submissive role of women as “domestic servants” in the patriarchal household. The “outcome” of gender role inequality is founded on dysfunctional families that cannot work past the conflict between men and women. More so, higher divorce rates are common factors that define why a patriarchal domestic sphere leads to fighting and stress between marital partners. Many women feel disempowered and angry at being seen as a “domestic servant” in their daily lives due to these

For instance, housewife may feel isolated and angered at being a “domestic servant” within a patriarchal household. After a long day of working, a housewife may feel angry with her husband because he does not appreciate the work she has done raising children or cleaning the house. In this instance, the housewife may be unaware of the traditional gender roles and patriarchal issues of institutional marriage that create these hostile environments:

Inside a marriage a man and a woman may experience personal troubles…this is an indication of a structural issue having to do with the institutions of marriage and the family and other institutions that bear upon them (Mills, 1959, p.5 of student’s file).

In this case, the traditional gender roles of the society may dictate that women are seen as submissive servants in the home. More so, the husband may view his work outside of the home as being superior to that of the wife. This instance creates a conflict between the husband and wife because the wife cannot see the larger gender role values and institutional structures that enable her within this

The example of the housewife defined why a struggle arises when the husband cannot appreciate the work that a woman does in the home. In this context, the family unit is defined by the continued division of labour between the disrespected housewife (who is acknowledged for doing work in the home) and the patriarchal husband that feels his work is worth more than his wife’s work. This duality is part of the gender divide between the submissive female and the aggressive male that create conflict ion the marriage (Luxton 2014). Marx envisioned a conflict of labour in the way that men could apply the “master-slave” relationship in the capitalist model: “The master-slave relationships occurring in broader society between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat are translated to the household” (Lindsey, 2015, p.8). In this theoretical context, Mills’ sociological imagination defies the overarching master-slave relationship of capitalism that creates a conflict between the husband and wife about the value of labour in the domestic