Introduction Sex Roles in Modern Society

Abstract

The reciprocal nature of is well accepted in contemporary sociology. Such concepts as taking, playing, taking role of other, set, and multiple are familiar to even beginning student, making him aware of complexity of term. While reciprocal character of complementary roles is stated in theory, it is often lost sight of in empirical research. Nowhere, perhaps, is this more apparent than in literature on roles. With recent interest in women's role in modern society, a discussion of role frequently is a discussion of women and studies on women. We hope this issue will aid reader in reconsidering reciprocal nature of male and female roles, giving due attention to former as well as to lat ter. In first article Jetse Sprey attempts to evaluate our current usage of concept of roles as an analytical tool in study of male-female relationships. Sprey notes that controversies surround ing sex can be grouped under three different yet interdependent headings: 1) issues of purely ideological and political nature; 2) dealing with matter of role performance, and 3) the question of linkage between role performance and culturally defined role prescription. It is primarily to this third issue that Sprey directs his attention in discussing origin of roles. In raising perhaps more questions than he answers, Sprey demonstrates com plexity and many facetted-nature of contemporary male-female relations and concludes that any attempt at a one-dimensional con ceptualization of roles . . . seems naive, and analytically sterile. Norwegian sociologist Eric Gr^nseth has not only studied and writ ten about roles, but has been active in attempting to alter sex-role behavior in his own country. Time (Nov. 22, 1971:72) reported that Gr^iseth had been instrumental in Norwegian Family Council's adopting a novel venture in swapping family roles. As Gr^iseth argues in his article, Western society's role division is dysfunctional not only for women, but for men as well. He attempts to demonstrate that it