Power and Gender Dynamics in Contemporary Families

Abstract

In his essay, Bourdieu (1996) defines the family as a set of individuals, living under the same roof, linked together by some affiliation such as marriage, or kinship. Bourdieu sees the family as an arena, where the \u27forces of fusion\u27 (that unite the interests of the individual with that of the collective), compete against the \u27forces of fission\u27 (the differing, sometimes competing \u27selfish\u27 interests of the various family members (Bourdieu 1996, p. 23). Hence, Bourdieu (1996) argues that it is futile to discuss the family (and we argue, family decision-making) without examining \u27the structure of power relations\u27 and \u27the effects of male domination.\u27 We agree, and in this chapter, we take a moment to reflect and discuss two underlying forces that have shaped, and continue to permeate, the rich body of family decision-making literature to date -- power and gender dynamics. Our review starts over 50 years ago, as we critically explore the manifestation, effects and implications of power and gender dynamics, from the earliest work in family decision-making (FDM) to more recent research on contemporary, non-traditional families.https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/business_books/1009/thumbnail.jp