Loretta Jacob is a twenty-five-year-old African immigrant in the United States. She is married to Kunte, a computer engineer and together they have two children ages two and four.  Loretta is also enrolled in the local community college and wants to be a nurse. Increasingly, combining the care of the children, spousal responsibilities and schoolwork are proving to be difficult for Mrs. Jacobs. Her husband firmly believes in the traditional gender role and constantly reminds her that childcare in their indigenous culture is the responsibility of the mother. When Loretta reminded the husband that living in America robs them of the help of relatives that living in the homeland provides, he simply replied “I don’t care”. Mr. Jacob maintains that his wife has been corrupted by the influence of television in the United States and has refused to be “a real wife and mother”. Mrs. Jacob’s schoolwork is suffering and so she spoke with a pastor about divorce and he referred her to you, the social worker.(From Ette, E.U (2011) Nigerians in the United States: Race, Identity and Acculturation. Landham, MD. Rowman & Littlefield.

Post length: 400-600 words

Respond to at least 6 of the 8 questions below:

1. According to Maslow’s theory on hierarchy of needs, what are two of Loretta's most pressing needs?
2. Theories are designed to help us explain human behavior. Discuss two of the theories discussed in this week’s readings/videos and describe how those theories can be used to explain the behavior of Loretta Jacobs.
3. Identify stereotypes and characteristics traditionally associated with the respective gender roles and discuss the effects of these stereotypes on people’s right to individuality – the right to be themselves without uncomfortable pretense.
4. How might Loretta's physical functioning, health status, and physical appearance influence her life and other's perception of her?
5. What things might be done to increase equality between men and women? Develop a plan of action utilizing your knowledge of relevant cross-cultural perspectives and theories.
6. Discuss the following three questions: Should women ask men for dates? Is there still a double standard concerning premarital sex? Should mothers work outside the home or try to stay home with their young children?
7. Consider the three theories of gender discussed in the video ‘Theories of Gender’, which theory of gender do you believe best explains gender. Explain the theory and discuss why?
8. What family and community supports could you explore with Loretta? Why?