Semester

Summer

Date of Graduation

2011

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MA

College

Eberly College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Communication Studies

Committee Chair

Christine Rittenour.

Committee Co-Chair

Maria Brann

Committee Member

Scott A. Myers

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to advance father-son research by investigating family communication and gender ideologies. Specifically, the study assessed the specific messages fathers transmit to sons regarding gender ideologies, relationships between family communication patterns and gender ideologies, and the utility of modeling and compensation hypotheses in intergenerational transmission of these behaviors and ideologies. Finally, this study addressed the association between gender ideologies and global life satisfaction. Fathers (N = 125) completed an online questionnaire to report their living fathers' and their own communication patterns and gender ideologies, as well as their transmission of gender ideologies to their sons. Results revealed a relationship between family communication patterns and gender ideologies within the younger generation of fathers and sons, sons' modeling of fathers' conformity orientations, and no relationship between gender ideologies and global life satisfaction. Overall, the results support the link between communication patterns and gender ideologies and offer several avenues for future exploration.

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