WST 3015
Professor Nina Perez
March 16, 2010
Vixen in the Kitchen-Angel in the Attic Blog Assignment
In the premiere episode, "Patriarchy," Kitty Walker (Calista Flockhart) returns home to California after having been estranged from her mother (Sally Field) for three years. Meanwhile, William Walker (Tom Skerritt) brings Sarah (Rachel Griffiths) into the family business, where she soon discovers some glaring financial discrepancies that could undermine the Walker family's way of life.
The series follows the Walkers through the maze of American life today- the pressures, limitless options and the struggle to grow beyond our backgrounds into ourselves. This is a prime example exhibited in the book Women's lives Multicultural Perspectives,working-class women are heavily penalized for job intteruptions, although these are the very women who allegedly "choose" less demanding occupations that enable them too move in and out of the job market without undue wage penalties" (Kirk and Rey 341). Through these fascinating siblings-Sarah, the corporate VP who returns to the family business so she can give to her marriage as much as she does to her career; Tommy (Balthazar Getty), the loyal son trying to live up to his father's expectations; Kevin (Matthew Rhys), the gay lawyer cautiously learning about love; Justin (Dave Annable), the baby of the family, grappling with war trauma and addiction; and Kitty, right-wing radio host turned TV host who has always been daddy's little girl-the show explores what it means to be a family in the 21st century, and how these brothers and sisters balance their own lives as they strive to accept their parents as people-flawed, contradictory and forgivable-rather than just as a father and mother. The parents are William Walker, the larger-than-life patriarch and president of the family business, and Nora Holden, the opinionated wife and mother to the five Walker siblings. Then there's Ron Rifkin as Saul Holden, Nora's brother; John Pyper-Ferguson as Sarah's husband, Joe; Sarah Jane Morris as Tommy's wife, Julia; and Patricia Wettig as Holly, a woman who's history with William could bring the Walkers and their company down.
The episode perpetuates traditional gender roles by the wife doing motherly/wife roles like cooking or taking care of her children while in this case, the mother’s children are all adults. Gender roles are also divided equally. According to Paula Ettelbrick, the concept of equality in our legal system does not support differences, it only supports sameness ( Women's Lives 318).
Work Cited
Ettelbrick, Paula. "Since When Is Marriage a Path to Liberation?" Women's Lives Multicultural
Perspectives. Ed. Gwyn Kirk and Margo Okazawa-Rey. 5th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010.
318-18. Print.
Crittenden, Ann. "The Mommy Tax." Women's Lives Multicultural Perspectives. Ed. Gwyn Kirk
and Margo Okazawa-Rey. 5th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 341-41. Print.
Hey Shanay,
ReplyDeleteThis is a great analysis of the show. It amazes me how gender roles are presented throughout the media. I've never seen this show but it is quite surprising how the children seem to be the adult figures and take over the traditional mother/wife roles. This is quite the opposite than most television programs out there.
-Seabury
I know...there is a lot of drama but it's a good show because they kind of step out of the normal roles for mothers and wives!
ReplyDeleteHi Shanay!
ReplyDeleteYour analysis is great! It is interesting to me that "mommy tax" is so common- even in television shows. I was shocked that in the readings many women are simply choosing not to have children to avoid that burden on their life.
I was however really glad to see that the gender roles were quite equal in this show.
I love this show! I wrote about it too... It really does show what it means to be a 21st century family. I think its interesting that Norah is a cookie-cutter traditional woman, but her daughters aren't.
ReplyDelete