According to di Leonardo, kin work also benefits men and children, and is a source of
satisfaction and power for the women who engage in it. Discuss the tension between altruism
and self-interest in women's kin work.
What will be an ideal response?
This is an interesting question that should allow students to think about an issue they have
likely not encountered before, that is, the tension between altruism and self-interest. The
seeming dichotomy will seem more complimentary as they explore this issue. Most women
will appreciate the enhancement of women's roles through this balance, but will also be able
to understand the risk in imbalance because they have participated in this sort of labor for
themselves and others. Men may have some difficulty reaching this or a similar conclusion
because they have generally participated very little in kin work as children and boys. Most
will likely draw the conclusion that altruism and self-interest are very compatible in this
context, and that a balance between them is essential for both individual women's emotional
health and the greater good of the family/kin, community.
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The highest concentration of high-income people is found
a. in small towns of the Midwest. b. near large metropolitan areas, especially on the East and West Coasts. c. in the Southwest. d. in the deep South.
Which of the following are characteristic of Gidden's "pure relationship"?
A the development of trust in the relationship B a feeling of personal intimacy in the relationship C a feeling of some permanence in the relationship D all of the above
Unlike hospital care, the goal of hospice care isto
a. prolong life. b. let people die in a modern hospital, with all its conveniences. c. make the person's last days more meaningful. d. make the patient well.
Which of the following is a necessary precondition for the successful emergence of a democracy?
A. a planned economy B. an illiterate population (80% or more) C. an autonomous elite D. an absence of extreme inequalities in wealth and income inequality