Why does role conflict occur ?
Role conflict occurs when contrary expectations arise from two or more roles. It is the incompatibility among roles corresponding to one or more status. An example of role conflict is a middle class working woman who has to handle her role as wife, mother and that of a professional worker. Even men face role conflicts when they have to juggle responsibilities between wife, children and their natal house. They lack sufficient authority to command their children’s loyalty.
The status and roles are not fixed. People make efforts to fight against discrimination of status and roles, for example those roles based on gender, race or caste. There are sections in society which oppose changes being done to the roles and status. If individual roles are violated, they are punished. Hence, society functions not just with status and roles but also with social control.