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1 Sociology of the Family Name: Affiliation: Date:

2 Introduction The family is a fundamental social institution that has undergone significant changes over the past century. These changes are reflected in media representations of the family, which historically have been rather limited in their portrayal of diverse family types. In this paper, I will analyze how the media representation of the family has evolved over time by examining two sitcoms from two different decades. Through this analysis, I will compare documented changes in family type and structure with media portrayals of families. Specifically, I will address questions related to the structure of the families portrayed, differences between family structures in the two decades, the perpetuation of family myths, racial/ethnic-based strengths and stresses, gender roles and gender role socialization, romantic relationships, parenting, and the balance between home and work life. Additionally, I will discuss negative aspects of family life, such as abuse and divorce, as portrayed in the selected sitcoms. This paper will also draw on at least five concepts/terms discussed in class to provide a comprehensive sociological analysis of the changing media representation of the family. Method The popular sitcom "Modern Family" ran from 2009 until 2020, for a total of 11 seasons and 250 episodes. During that time, it was broadcast on television ( Abbott & Geraths, 2021) . Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan were responsible for the show's production, and ABC was the network that aired it ( Dalton & Linder, 2016) . The lives of three families, the Pritchetts, the Dunphys, and the Tuckers, who are all connected and live in Los Angeles at the same time, are chronicled throughout the series Himberg, 2017) . Emmy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, and Screen Actors Guild Awards have all been bestowed upon this television program on multiple occasions.

3 Ed O'Neill plays the role of Jay Pritchett, and Sofia Vergara plays Gloria, his wife. Julie Bowen and Ty Burrell play the roles of Claire and Phil Dunphy, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet play Mitchell and Cameron Tucker, and Ariel Winter, Nolan Gould, and Rico Rodriguez play the roles of the Pritchett and Dunphy children, respectively. "Modern Family" airs on ABC ( Macleod, 2018) . Throughout the course of the series, "Modern Family" examines a variety of topics that pertain to families, such as marriage, parenting, adoption, and relationships between people of the same sexual orientation ( Pugh, 2017) . The show is well-known for its diverse portrayal of different kinds of families, and its main characters come from a variety of racial and cultural backgrounds. In order to complete this analysis, I watched two episodes of "Modern Family," namely the "Pilot" episode from the first season and the "Spanks for the Memories" episode from the ninth season. The main characters and the relationships between them are introduced in the pilot episode, while the episode titled "Spanks for the Memories" focuses on topics associated with aging and health care ( Henneberg, 2016) . In the first episode, all three of the families get together for a get-together, and Jay introduces his new wife, Gloria, to his grown children. This is the first time they have met each other. In addition, we meet Phil and Claire Dunphy, along with their children, all of whom are attempting to strike a balance between their professional and personal lives ( Burger, 2018) . It has been revealed that Mitchell and Cameron, who are currently involved in a relationship of the same gender, have adopted a baby girl from Vietnam. The other show that I watched is "Black-ish". "Black-ish" is a popular American sitcom that debuted on ABC in 2014 and ran for a total of eight seasons before coming to an end in 2022. Kenya Barris is the brains behind the show, which follows the lives of the Johnson family, an African American family with an upper-middle-class lifestyle who reside in a predominantly white neighborhood in Los Angeles ( Anderson, 2021) . The show has

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4 received praise for its open and honest discussions on a wide range of contentious issues, including those pertaining to identity, class, and race. Anthony Anderson plays the role of Andre "Dre" Johnson, a successful advertising executive who is determined to provide his children with a sense of cultural identity despite the privileged upbringing they have received ( Acham, 2018) . The show features an ensemble cast led by Anderson, who plays the role. Rainbow "Bow" Johnson, his wife, is a physician and frequently acts as a voice of reason in the family. She is known as "Bow." The couple has raised four children together; their names are Zoey, Andre Jr. "Junior," Diane, and Jack ( Sullivan & Platenburg, 2017) . Ruby and Earl, Dre's parents, are also featured on the show. They have frequent disagreements with their son and daughter-in-law about how they should uphold their traditional values. The sitcom "Black-ish" is exceptionally well-written, and it handles difficult topics with both sensitivity and humor. The show has an impressively varied and talented cast, and the writing is both intellectual and approachable at the same time ( Vickers, 2018) . The show has been praised for its candid and thought-provoking discussions on topics such as racial dynamics and the dynamics of families, and it has received widespread acclaim from the media. Findings Watching multiple episodes of "Modern Family" and "Black-ish," I can say with confidence that our cultural understanding of what it means to be a family has changed dramatically over the past few decades. Three distinct families are portrayed in "Modern Family," each with its own dynamics and set of problems. Jay, a middle-aged man, is married to Gloria, a younger woman, and they have a son named Manny. Jay's two adult children, Claire and Mitchell, are from a previous marriage. Mitchell is married to Cameron, and they

5 have an adopted daughter named Lily; Claire is married to Phil, and they have three children ( Caldwell Jr, 2022) . The show is produced in a documentary style, with frequent instances of characters speaking directly to the camera. The upper-middle-class nuclear family of "Black- ish" is headed by Andre "Dre" Johnson and Rainbow Johnson, who together raised four children. The show is made in the style of a classic sitcom, complete with a live studio audience and synthetic laughter. The two shows' respective attitudes toward diversity are key points of contrast. "Modern Family" depicts a wide range of family configurations, from interracial same-sex couples to multigenerational blended families ( Ruiz & Cirugeda, 2019) . The show's main characters are all white, which has led to complaints about a lack of racial diversity. In contrast, the cast of "Black-ish" is almost entirely African-American, and the show deals with themes of race and identity. Gender roles and parenting are topics explored in both shows ( Henneberg, 2016) . There are examples of non-stereotypical gender roles in "Modern Family," such as Phil's increased involvement in parenting and Cameron's decision to stay at home with their children. The gender roles in "Black-ish" are also discussed, with Dre struggling with feeling devalued by Rainbow's success as an anesthesiologist. The family on "Modern Family" have varying approaches to raising their children, with Claire being overprotective and Jay being more relaxed, for example. In contrast, "Black-ish" depicts Dre and Rainbow as authoritative parents who place a premium on education and instill a sense of cultural identity in their children ( Vuković, 2016) . Work-life balance is a topic that is discussed in both shows. Phil and Claire, parents of three, try to make time for themselves amidst the chaos of raising a family of five on "Modern Family," but they often fail. With Rainbow's flourishing career occasionally interfering with her ability to be present for her children, "Black-ish" explores the challenge of striking a healthy work- life balance. Both "Modern Family" and "Black-ish" demonstrate progressive shifts in the

6 media's depiction of the nuclear family. While "Modern Family" highlights various types of families, "Black-ish" delves into questions of ethnicity and personal history. The struggles and triumphs of contemporary family life are depicted through the lens of gender roles, parenting styles, and work-life balance in both shows. Conclusion Looking at how families are portrayed on shows like "Modern Family" and "Black- ish" over time reveals interesting shifts in family composition and dynamics. Blended families, single-parent households, and multiracial households are all becoming more common in today's television shows. More emphasis is placed on co-parenting and shared responsibilities, and there has been a shift toward more equal gender roles and responsibilities for fathers and mothers. Nonetheless, some myths about families, such as the primacy of the traditional nuclear family and the expectation that families should always be happy and perfect, are reinforced by both shows. There are also restrictions on the portrayal of certain kinds of families, such as LGBTQ+ families, which are still underrepresented in the popular media.

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7 References Abbott, J. Y., & Geraths, C. (2021). Modern Masculinities: Resistance to Hegemonic Masculinity in Modern Family. Journal of Contemporary Rhetoric, 11. Acham, C. (2018). Black-ish: Kenya Barris on Representing Blackness in the Age of Black Lives Matter. Film Quarterly, 71(3), 48-57. Anderson, M. L. (2021). ABC’s Black-ish. Working While Black: Essays on Television Portrayals of African American Professionals, 38. Burger, A. (2018). Modern Nerd: Alex Dunphy and Growing Up Geeky in Modern Family. Age of the Geek: Depictions of Nerds and Geeks in Popular Media, 213-230. Caldwell Jr, C. (2022). “The Power of Representation": An Autoethnographic Account on the Influence of the Cosby Show and Black-ish. Spectrum: A Journal on Black Men, 10(1), 23-35. Dalton, M. M., & Linder, L. R. (Eds.). (2016). the sitcom reader: America re-viewed, still skewed. State University of New York Press. Henneberg, S. (2016). Rewriting the How-To of Parenting: What Is Really Modern about ABC’s Modern Family. Journal of Interdisciplinary Feminist Thought, 9(1), 1. Himberg, J. (2017). The New Gay for Pay: The Sexual Politics of American Television Production. Macleod, M. (2018). Performing Adulthood: The Adult-Child and the Child-Adult in Modern Family and Roseanne. In Children, Youth, and American Television (pp. 181-200). Routledge.

8 Pugh, T. (2017). Conservative narrativity, queer politics, and the humor of gay stereotypes in Modern Family. Camera Obscura: Feminism, Culture, and Media Studies, 32(3), 1-31. Ruiz, R. S., & Cirugeda, I. L. (2019). El tabu racial a traves del x-femismo en la serie televisiva Black-ish. Atlantis, revista de la Asociación Española de Estudios Anglo- Norteamericanos, 41(1), 143-162. Sullivan, J. M., & Platenburg, G. N. (2017). From Black-ish to Blackness: An analysis of Black information sources’ influence on Black identity development. Journal of Black Studies, 48(3), 215-234. Vickers, J. (2018). Black or Black-ish: Decoding Black-ish and its place in the conversation of diversity (Doctoral dissertation, Syracuse University). Vuković, T. (2016). Representation of Gender in" Modern Family" (Doctoral dissertation, University of Zadar. Department of English).

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