content analysis

Evolution of the Sitcom Dad

Two-sentence summary of findings:
From the 1950s the role of fathers in sitcoms have changed dramatically from being the wise, all knowing, sole provider in the ’50s to being the slow, good natured, screw up that we see today. Thigh change might be directly related with the growth of American women in society.

Summery of the previous study:
The previous study by Erica Scharrer (“From wise to foolish: The changing portrayal of the sitcom father from the 1950s to the 1990s” Summer 1997, The Guido H. Stempel Research Competition) reveals that with the change in social status of women, sitcoms began to change as well. Men were once portrayed as the bread winner of the family and the one who had solutions to any problem. An example used was Ward Cleaver. He always had great advice to give to his children. He also never lost control over situations. In today’s sitcoms, the Dad is the one that is viewed as the incompetent screw up that is lazy and can’t do anything right.
Men have recently become the punch line in jokes for their wives. With the economic growth of women over the decades, men have transformed from the typical dominant male role, to a goofier, good hearted, oaf that is usually joked about in most sitcoms.
The reason for the correlation between the role of Dad’s in sitcoms and the economic growth of women over the decades might be related to actual experiences by the producers of the sitcoms. The author believes that because women have gained more power in society they have had a huge impact on the progression of the sitcoms. Over the years, more and more women have joined the working class, which also includes television. This means that as women have gained more power in society, they have also gained more power in what is on our TV’s. Their influence on how the sitcom is produced is directly related with the change of status of the sitcom Dad.
Method:
My study will include sitcoms from the 1950s to present day. This will include “Leave it to Beaver,” “I Love Lucy,” “The Cosby Show,” “Home Improvement,” and “Everybody Loves Raymond,” The method is a qualitative content analysis on analyzing each program and observing the differences in each.

Findings:
When looking at “Leave it to Beaver,” and “I Love Lucy”, it was observed that the male figure in both is portrayed as the very competent, respectful, and know-everything man. Particularly in “Leave it to Beaver,” Ward Cleaver was the father. He was a college graduate, a responsible businessman, an upstanding citizen, and a conscientious parent. He was considered to be very wise and all knowing. He knew the answers to just about any problem. He was well respected and his dominant role in the household was obvious. In “I Love Lucy,” the male role of Ricky Ricardo was similar. Although he was not a father until much later in the show, it was apparent he was the dominant sole provider of the family, while his wife Lucy was the clumsy, mistake prone, housewife that cooked and cleaned and usually screwed up in just about every episode. These examples show how life was in the ’50s and ’60s. Not only with how it appeared on television, but also how many households were run. The man was the dominant breadwinner while the wife stayed at home and cooked and cleaned.

You can see a noticeable change with “The Cosby Show.” This kept the image of the father being a very intelligent, competent man, while also transforming the woman’s role into about the same thing. This is where you start to see the change in perception of women in television. Claire Huckstable was a lawyer, who was very smart and was in charge most of the time. Cliff Huckstable was the father, who was also perceived as a smart man, but the difference was it seemed that he gave more control to his wife, Claire. In many episodes the kids came to him with a question and he was tell them that they would have to check with their mother. This shows a very large change in how it was in previous decades.

With the more modern sitcoms “Home Improvement,” and “Everybody Loves Raymond,” the role of the father in both sitcoms have changed dramatically. In “Home Improvement” Tim Taylor is the clumsy screw up, who doesn’t understand much and is portrayed as being a dumb, tool lovin’ man. His wife Jill is working on her Masters degree in the sitcom, which shows the evolution of women in sitcoms and in real life. Tim Taylor is always screwing something up, while Jill makes many of the decisions in the relationship because Tim is thought to not be as competent as his wife. In “Everybody Loves Raymond,” takes a different approach but still has similar situations. The father, Ray Barone, is actually portrayed as a very successful sports writer and his wife, Debra, is the housewife that is annoyed by her husband’s crazy parents. However, while Ray is portrayed as the successful sports writer, he is still not in charge of his house at home. He is always in trouble with his wife, Debra, and it is apparent that she “wears the pants” in the relationship. She runs a tight ship and everyone is on board. This is a different scenario, however, it still shows the power of women very well.


Conclusion:
In a world where women have much more power than they used to, their roles in TV sitcoms have changed dramatically. It’s very clear of the way things used to be on TV and how things have progressed since then. I believe that it’s true that the growth in social economic status of women over the past 60 years has shaped the way women are portrayed today. In life, they have been given much more power and equality. Such has happened, though gradually, in television sitcoms as well. Because of this change, it is apparent that the male image in sitcoms has changed as well to allow for the image of women to be accepted without social conflict. I didn’t realize as much prior to this mini study how much of a different world it has become on television. We’ve come from a world of male dominance on TV to an equal, if not female dominated, television world. This study just increases my curiosity on what the future might hold, not only in life, but in TV as well.