Gender Roles in the Family

You can't talk about gender roles within a family without there being some sort of controversy in the  conversation. Today, I would like to address gender roles in terms of what the Lord wants for families. The Family: A Proclamation to the World, states that "...the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children." (Click here to see the full Proclamation on the Family) That's a pretty big deal, don't you think? It's a good thing that God has laid out His plan for us and He has given us the blue print for what He wants us to do as men and fathers, women and mothers.

Let's start with fathers. The Proclamation states, "By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families." The following video demonstrates the importance of father's and the need for them to perform their roles.

According to the Proclamation, "Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children." Although this statement may be short and concise, just take a minute to ponder what is included in nurturing children-- A LOT! (Ask any mother you know). It's widely accepted that women are typically more caring and nurturing, so this would only make sense that mothers would take the lead in helping children grow, learn and develop. Whoever said "The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world" is not mistaken. Mothers have such a great influence on their children! So, in no way, shape, or form should we EVER diminish a woman's role as a mother.

Some of the time, people complain about these roles as being not fair or oppressive, but the Lord gives us counsel that, "In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners." In any good relationship, each spouse strives to help the other whenever possible. This means that the father isn't the only leader in the home and the mother isn't the only one changing diapers and making dinner.