SOCIOLOGICAL RESERACH PROPOSAL

Sociological Research proposal

Sociological Research proposal

Background

Definition of sociological theory can be said to emphasize on as culturally defined way of behaving which can be classified as a norm, with rewards for conformity and punishments for deviation. These sociological norm theories have been used to study a variety of phenomena, such as housing (e.g., Morris and Winter, 1978) and mate selection (e.g., Burr, 1973). As such certain norms have been set by society which if distorted raises an eyebrow so to say.

Research Problem

There are no particular parameters or restrictions on what is classified as “homemaking or housework.” It has been drilled into minds of men and women since they were children that certain tasks are accomplished by “boys” and by “girls.” This conditioning is provided not only by parents but also by schools and market training. The men of the family should specialize in household repairs and family finances, whereas women are most likely to do the cooking, cleaning and child rearing, etc.

Hypothesis

Since this has become so prominent in our daily lives that it eventually leads to specialization in the household. As such, this is considered good in a market place where a person is looking for a job but it is not the same when these specialized duties are forced upon. These specializations have been stressed on so much since the dawn of time that they have become norms in our society.

Literature Review

The question posed here is of "difference"—gender difference between female and male. As such "gender" can be specified as socially acquired characteristics of femaleness and maleness, as difference from "sex," the biological attributes of women and men.

Homemaking is normally associated with a woman mainly a married woman and a stay-at-home mom. Gender stereotyping has become very common in our society. As such, a study conducted in 1950's showed that if a husband was found in the kitchen cooking a meal, a gender norm was violated and would result in informal social sanctions such as ridicule.

Similarly, norms have been set on performance standards as well. For example, if dust were visible on furniture, a performance norm would be violated, and social sanctions, which could result in a lecture from a mother-in-law. As such police would not be called to correct these types of mistakes but more so through the socialization process, which would effectively internalize punishment, so that a person would experience mental anguish at the thought of having a guest see a dirty house. Norms over a period of time do change. A 1993 survey of 500 adults found that "... 84 percent of women and 80 percent of men can tolerate a certain amount of dust in their homes." (Varkonyl, 1993)

In 1966, Barbara Welter, published "The Cult of True Womanhood." This book had an account of how ministers and other male moralists made an effort to impose the concept of "true womanhood" in the mid-nineteenth century. They classified women's virtues as: piety, purity (meaning sexual purity), domesticity, and ...