Holiday Gender Roles
Chapter 8 Gender and the Holidays
For this assignment, our class will examine gender roles during the holidays. Please take a look at the following articles from JSTOR Daily, here, and from Sociological Images, here.
Assignment: Write a summary of your observations and analysis of gender roles during one particular Thanksgiving—or pick another holiday you have celebrated with your family that involves cooking and eating a lot of food. Include in your summary what the gender roles revealed during the event.
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Holiday Gender Roles
As you read the articles think of Thanksgiving or other holiday celebrations you’ve had with your family, paying special attention to the gender roles associated with this holiday.
- What do the men do during different parts of the day and evening?
- How do the women spend their time?
- What about the children – do the kids, children. help their family members? In what ways?
- Take a look at the various rituals throughout the day, and think about whether they differ by gender.
- For instance, is the turkey carved at the dinner table, and who carves it?
- According to your observations, did you find any kind of gender imbalance in the preparation for this holiday?
Grading
- at least 1,000 words in length.
Introduction
Holiday gatherings, particularly those centered around food and family, are important occasions for revealing subtle and often unquestioned gender roles. These roles—rooted in tradition, culture, and social norms—become especially visible during holidays like Thanksgiving. This paper reflects on my observations from several family Thanksgiving celebrations, analyzing how different genders are involved in the preparation, celebration, and cleanup. I draw from both personal experiences and the readings from JSTOR Daily and Sociological Images to uncover patterns that demonstrate how gender roles are performed and reinforced through holiday rituals.
Gender Roles in Preparation
During Thanksgiving in my family, the days leading up to the holiday and the morning of are almost exclusively dominated by the efforts of women. My mother, aunts, and grandmother coordinate everything—from planning the menu, grocery shopping, cooking, setting the table, and managing the overall flow of the day. It’s not just that they are helping; they take full ownership of making Thanksgiving happen. The kitchen becomes their domain, where they work for hours preparing multiple dishes, organizing desserts, and ensuring everything is timed perfectly.
