"Man of the House" and "Man of the Family" - what outdated sexist nonsense

I enjoy watching Family Guy - sometimes the series is hilarious, especially when they spoof well-known TV shows - but I can't help but notice Peter Griffin's sexism and his old fashioned sexist attitudes. In the episode featuring the grim reaper where Peter is afraid of dying, he says to his son Chris "you'll be the man of the family" - in other words, he will be "head" of the house. But where would this leave his daughter Meg - older than Chris - not to mention his wife Lois? Why is being a son more important in this respect - and why is being the "man of family" such an important thing?

Many years ago, if a father died, his son was often perceived to be the "man of the house" or "head of the family" and this patriarchal concept is one of my all-time pet hates. If the son became "head of the family", then what would his mother be? Surely and logically, she would be the "head of the family"- it is her house after all. But this patriarchal idea typically suggests that men in a family are more important than women, and that the "head of the family" has to be a man.

In an early episode of The Simpsons, the same kind of view is taken by Homer after he believes he has eaten a poisonous Japanese fish and that he has hours to live - he teachers Bart to "be a man" and even shows him how to shave, as if Bart, being a boy, should be the "man of the house". A later episode I remember watching, where Homer is away from home, has him telephone home to ask a question, and he asks for Bart, saying that he is "man of the house". Homer believed Bart should give the answer to his question and make the final decision. But what about Marge Simpson? Surely Homer's wife is the person who would decide in his absence, not his ten year old son?

These patriarchal attitudes are very outdated and sexist and they really suggest that in a family, men are the "heads" and not women, rather than believing that both the husband and wife are the "heads of the house" and that they are equal in this sense. The old fashioned "Dad's the boss" and "head of the family" ideas are so outdated in today's society and it is something I really dislike. Surely, this demeans the role of wife and mother, making her unequal, as well subordinate to her husband. Surely, she would be "head" if her husband died?

Recently, in the soap opera Emmerdale, following the death of Jack Sugden who was one of its original characters, his mother Annie - a strong matriarchal character - told her adoptive grandson that he is now "head of the family". This is surprising coming from a character who was "head" of the family for many years at Emmerdale Farm. Isn't Jack's wife Diane "head of the family", then?

It makes me wonder just how much we have moved on in society. It seems society's views still haven't changed for many people, even in television fiction. Do these old-fashioned attitudes really reflect society nowadays?