Abstract

The topic studied in this paper arose spontaneously during fieldwork: the Moroccan families that participated in the research talked about the differences between female and male roles without being prompted by the researcher. Thus the paper is an attempt to acknowledge and represent their own interest in the subject. In particular, the paper examines the representations of female and male roles constructed in the narrations of the family's «foundation» during the interviews. Family histories - differently told by males and females - were analyzed in the light of the concept of agency in order to explore how social responsibility and the capacity to act in the social sphere were differently attributed to men and women. The comparison between family histories and family practices as observed by the author shows some similarities in the construction of female and male agency. Finally the paper discusses how the concept of agency is a useful analytical tool for studying the relationship between male and female roles, social reproduction and social change in contemporary Morocco. The topic studied in this paper arose spontaneously during fieldwork: the Moroccan families that participated in the research talked about the differences between female and male roles without being prompted by the researcher. Thus the paper is an attempt to acknowledge and represent their own interest in the subject. In particular, the paper examines the representations of female and male roles constructed in the narrations of the family's «foundation» during the interviews. Family histories - differently told by males and females - were analyzed in the light of the concept of agency in order to explore how social responsibility and the capacity to act in the social sphere were differently attributed to men and women. The comparison between family histories and family practices as observed by the author shows some similarities in the construction of female and male agency. Finally the paper discusses how the concept of agency is a useful analytical tool for studying the relationship between male and female roles, social reproduction and social change in contemporary Morocco.