The role of men and women in a family are not explicitly defined and vary vastly from across many countries. In Iran for example, men’s roles are normally more valued and rewarded than women’s roles.

This research report will outline the basic assumptions about families prior to any feminist changes and explain the rationale for this. It will then discuss the initiation of the feminist movement and the way in which it affected the roles within a family and the structure of a family. The report will analyse the implications of feminism and discuss the types of feminism, which have affected the basic assumptions of families. In order to fully understand the challenges feminist have posed, the report will consider the importance of feminism in today’s society, assessing our assumptions about families and to what degree it is considered a priority. As a matter of interest, there will also be a discussion on the effect of feminism on families on an international scale. This research report will seek to conclude concisely the ways in which feminists have challenged the basic foundation and ideas in relation to families.

In the seventeenth and eighteenth century Cheal cites that the term nuclear family emerged describing a couple who are legally married and have their own children residing in a permanent home. (Cheal, D. 2002) Talcott Parsons (1956) has suggested a possible rational justifying why the basic assumption of families exists. Parson’s view was based on the facts that women are responsible for expressing their feelings by providing care and security to children and offering them emotional support. In respect of men Parson suggested they are responsible for playing the instrumental roles by being the breadwinner in the household. In this era, it was considered that women and men carry out specific tasks which they are biologically best suited for.