Kramer vs. Kramer

Kramer vs. Kramer is the story of a appreciation battle, just now in its time (1979) and place it becomes a battle of mothering vs. fathering and over how men and women should lead their lives. Ted Kramer, a Madi news lane art director is so consumed with his safeguarder that he doesnt understand the basic necessarily of his son or even the grade he is in school. Joanna Kramer, a former employee of Mademoiselle, had left her career to care for their son, billystick. Joanna finds herself overwhelmed with feelings of worthlessness and leaves her son and husband to find herself. Ted is forced to learn to be a parent and Billy loves being with his father more. After a period of fifteen months, Joanna returns. She is not looking for forgiveness but rather to obtain custody of their son. Their battle leaves us questioning the very definition of gender in our society.Ted and Joanna Kramer had a life that was defined as our society would excite seen fit. Joanna, being biologically sui ted, would remain at home and care for their son. She provides for the stirred up needs of the family. Ted, operating in the public sphere, would provide for the families material needs. This is what American culture has defined as the nuclear family. This is the standard that our society would define as desirable.This ideology is so clearly spelled out in the approachroom. Part of the case that Streeppresents for herself during the custody trial is a simplistic appeal-to-the particular that gestation ispowerfully persuasive as a social institution.Im his mother. Hes my child. I love him. He needs me morethan he needs his father. Im his mother.The simple fact that Streep as the boys biological mother is supposed to outweigh, incourt, any particularities of their individual case. And on the basis of this argument the courtgrants custody to Streep. As Hoffmans lawyer says, They went for motherhood right d give theline. The movie insists that gender is the primary factor in child cu stody determinations at thetime of disarticulate. Having established gender as the key, the movie then goes to court, whereproceedings are seen from a distinctly male perspective.Attorney Shaughnessy warns Ted Kramer that courts favor mothers in custody battles over young children. The task, Shaughnessy is certain, is to prove Joanna is an high-risk mother. Shaughnessy in addition apparently overlooks the fact that the parties had already divorced, and Ted had custody, so the issue was not custody but rather custody modification. Even assuming a maternal preference rule, modification hearings place great weight on maintaining child care continuity. fictional Judge Atkins sees things the way attorney Shaughnessy does. Atkins award of custody to Joanna Kramer relies almost all in all on the tender yearsWhen the Kramers do in fact have their day in court, viewing audience are propelled to defend Ted. It seems unfair when Joannas attorney asks Ted on the stand about his move from o ne advertise agency to another for lower pay. Viewers are angered by the suggestion that it was Teds negligence that caused Billys vacation spot fall. But somehow, this does not seem quite as bad when Shaughnessy questions Joanna about her sexual liaisons since the time of her divorce from Ted.Even Ted sympathized with Joanna at the legal proceedings seems. With Joanna wilting on the stand from a brutal cross-examination, Ted shows no vindictive pleasure. With Joanna struggling with the question Were you a failure at the most important personal relationship of your life? Ted establishes eye contact and supportively shakes his head no.Even after the legal proceedings close up with a closing adverse to Ted, we continue to reflect on developments from Teds perspective. When Ted asks Shaughnessy about an appeal, Shaughnessy warns that it would be necessary to stage little Billy on the stand. Ted realizes how destructive this would be. The viewer shares his appraisal of the legal pr ocess twisted ways and seconds his conclusion to back off for Billys sake. Ted continues to win our sympathy.Kramer vs. Kramer, this issue is gender inequality. In New York, where the movie takes place, the courts were no drawn-out going to rely on gender to decide custody battles, but gender was lighten a topic on the minds of the public in the 1980s, when the movie was released. I believe that in a walloping proportion of our population today, there continues to be gender issues when parenting or custody issues are reviewed. There still exists the notion that women are built to be parents and nurture a child, something men are not emotional enough to do.In this case, Kramer vs. Kramer, the courts finding of Joanna as the custodial parent, does not appear to have been a decision based on anything other than gender. The decision was made on the societal tactual sensation that a mother will be the better parent, it is what women were built to do. Ted is denied custody on the bas is of gender, he cannot possibly be a better or even equal parent.The demonstration that Ted is not an adequate to(predicate) provider because he lost one job and took a lesser paying job, and that this somehow makes him unfit because as the father he is to be the breadwinner and this outweighed the fact that Joann had abandoned her child. The belief that Joanna should have stayed with her family, despite her own desires or wishes, and the portrayal of her as promiscuous because she had other relationships, further highlight the gender issue.The inequality of the decision in this case, is inequality to both the parents. Both Ted and Joanna had the ability and means to be a good parent. The court did not evaluate the case on that basis. The court evaluated the case on the basis of gender roles and who should be doing what given the society beliefs present.