Changing Gender Roles, Domestic Divisions of Labour - Families and households

Question 1

Talcott Parsons (1955)

Answer 1

Gender roles are biological: The ‘rational’ male breadwinner and Disciplinarian (Instrumental Role). The more ‘emotional’ and caring domestic role of the female (Expressive Roles).

Question 2

Elizabeth Bott (1957)
CONJUGAL ROLES

Answer 2

Separate Conjugal Roles
Couples have individual roles within the family both in terms of domestic labour and leisure activities.
Joint Conjugal Roles
Couples share domestic labour and spend their leisure time together.

Question 3

Wilmott and Young

Answer 3

March of Progress Perspective: Acceptance of the interchangeability of roles. 7 out of 10 women of working age now have jobs. Half of mothers with children aged under five are in work. 36% of couples say that the man is the main carer.

Question 4

Feminist view of Changing Gender Roles, Domestic Divisions of Labour

Answer 4

Reject the march of progress view.
Oakley found only 15% of husbands had a high level of participation in housework.
25% had a high level of participation in childcare.
More likely to share in childcare than in housework (but only in the more pleasurable aspects).
Most couples defined the father’s role as one of ‘taking an interest’.

Question 5

Alan Warde and Kevin Hetherington (1993)

Answer 5

In general, men would only carry out routine female tasks when their partners were not around to do them. Found some changes in attitude among younger men.

Question 6

Crompton and Lyonette (2008)
Cultural or ideological explanation of inequality
Dune (1999)

Answer 6

Equality will only be achieved only when norms about gender roles change.

Dune (1999) found lesbian couples had more symmetrical relationships because of the absence of traditional heterosexual scripts.

Question 7

Crompton and Lyonette (2008)
Material or economic explanation of inequality.

Answer 7

Women do more housework and childcare because they generally earn less than men, making it economically rational for them to do so.

Sullivan shows that working full-time rather than part-time makes the biggest difference in terms of how much domestic work each partner does.

Question 8

Phal and Vogler (1993) identify 2 main types of control over family income:

Answer 8

The allowance system- where men give their wives an allowance in which they have to budget to meet their family’s needs.

Pooling- where both partners have access to income and joint responsibility for expenditure.