Conjugal + Power Roles Flashcards
Define conjugal roles?
The roles played by the male and the female in a married or cohabiting couples.
What are the theorists views on conjugal roles? (Modernists, Marxists, feminists)
Modernist like the idea as it’s functional & natural.
Marxists don’t like it because they believe it benefits capitalism.
Feminists do not like gendered roles as they believe it’s oppressive / exploitative.
What are the 3 main trends of DV?
- Women are more likely to be the victim of multiple DV incidents compared to men.
- Most DV against women are committed by male partners.
- DV statistics are increasing.
What are the 3 main sources of DV statistics? Any issues/strengths to these?
- Government
- only contain reported/convicted incidents.
- if they release statistics which are getting worse then they’re failing to do their job. - Sociologists
- Value laden (own biases may be in their research)
- radicals believe men are the enemy. - Charity
- Not out to make up lies - they want to present a realistic picture in order to improve lies.
What is the sociological debate about conjugal roles? (MofP)
Sociologists believe that conjugal roles & relationships are equal or becoming equal.
How can the equality / inequality of conjugal roles and relationships be measured? (5)
- Domestic labour: housework & childcare
- Impact of women in paid work
- Finance, resources, decision making
- Emotional work
- Domestic violence
Define / describe gender roles & relationships?
The categories for each?
Include evidence to support each?
Gender roles - what each person does.
- domestic labour
- impact of women in paid work
- emotional work
(Gershuny/Gillian Dunne/Feminists/Millet & firestone)
Relationships - inequalities of power & control
- finance, resources, decision making
- domestic violence
(Sullivan / Arber & Ginn / Gershuny / Wilkinson & Pickett)
Explain the 2 explanations gender division of labour indentified by Compton & Lyonette?
(Cultural / ideological explanation of inequality)
(Material / economic explanation of inequality)
Cultural / ideological explanation of inequality:
- patriarchal norms shape gender roles. Women perform more domestic labour.
Material / economic explanation of inequality:
- women earn less than men, so it’s economically rational for women to do more housework/childcare whilst men work more.
Domestic Labour - becoming equal.
Classic study?
Contemporary?
Classic - Willmott & Young
- found symetrical families were mainly younger, more affluent couples.
- because of feminisation of the economy/ higher living standards/ small families
Contemporary - Future foundation 2000
- highlighted generational change in housework, men/ women claimed to do more/less than their parents.
Domestic Labour - not equal.
Classic study?
Contemporary?
Classic - Ann Oakley
- studied women. found symmetry is exaggerated and men ‘cherry-pick’ the more ‘masculine or appealing’ household jobs
Contemporary - British Social Attitudes
- Found women did 2x as much domestic labour as men.
- Found couples divide household tasks along traditional gender lines.
Domestic Labour
Conclusion?
Evidence to suggest overall domestic labour continues to gender scripts. Some recognition of men doing housework more but not significant enough to suggest symmetry.
Impact of women in paid work - becoming equal.
Classic study?
Contemporary?
Classic - Gershuny MofP
- found women who work do less housework this is due to cultural lag - when we’ve adapted, it will become less. Men still cherry pick so women have to do more.
Contemporary - Arber & Ginn
- M.C. dual worker families can use money to relieve the load. W.C. women have to take on dual burden & suffer.
Impact of women in paid work - not equal.
Classic study?
Contemporary?
Classic - Ferri & Smith
- study: 4% of father took main responsibility for childcare, even with increased female employment.
Contemporary - Crompton & Lyonette
- researched womens work-life balance and found that women do less housework due to time saving appliances not men helping, woman is helping herself.
Impact of women in paid work
Conclusion?
Evidence to suggest women being in paid work leads to more equality but women still continue to shoulder a dual burden.
- Women’s roles become easier due to time saving appliances not due to the man
Finances & Decision making - becoming equal.
Classic?
Contemporary?
Classic - Stephen Edgell
- found husbands dominated the important decisions while women decided less important decisions.
- women who earn less have less say in decisions.
Contemporary - Weeks
- pattern of pooling (both partners have access to money & expenditure)
- decline in allowance system
Finances & Decision making - not equal.
Classic?
Contemporary?
Classic - Barrett & McIntosh
- men gain from women’s domestic work but don’t return it in financial support
- men give women money with “strings attached” (expects sex)
Contemporary - Sociologists
- money management favours men. Women are denied resources, so will go without - feels guilty spending money on herself.
Finances & Decision making
Conclusion?
Men still make the important decisions & control finances.
- some are becoming equal and shared. women can keep her own money but mainly gets less important decisions.
Emotional work - becoming equal.
Classic?
Classic - March of progress
- “new man” shows how young men are more emotional and want to be involved in their child’s upbringing. Some chose to be stay-at-home dads.
Emotional work - not equal.
Classic?
Contemporary?
Classic - Dunscombe & Marsden
- Women are expected to work a triple shift.
- conducted surveys over 15yrs found women maintained the family happiness/stability whereas men never realised there were problems.
Contemporary - Dale Southerton
- managing family quality time falls on the mother.
- men have blocks of uninterrupted leisure time whereas women’s leisure time is more likely to be interrupted by a child.
Emotional work
Conclusion?
Little evidence of men being responsible for balancing the family work due to gender scripts & women taking on the expressive role - however “new man”.
Domestic violence - becoming equal.
Classic?
Contemporary?
Classic - March of progress
- ‘new man’ shows that men are emotional and want to be involved in their relationship and cares for their partner in a loving way.
Contemporary - Faith Robertson Elliot
- believes not all men are violent or aggressive & most are opposed to domestic violence. Criticises Radicals as they fail to explain female abuse.
Domestic violence - becoming equal.
Classic?
Contemporary?
Classic - Dobash & Dobash
- interviews women who had been assaulted. believe men were violent if they felt his authority was being challenged. Marriage legitimates violence by giving men the power.
Contemporary - Fran Ansley
- women are ‘takers of shit’
- male workers are exploited and take it out on their wives - product of capitalism.
Domestic violence
Conclusion?
women are oppressed & exploited by men.
Not all men are violent, in the modern society.
Define the symmetrical family?
Define egalitarian?
Define cultural lag?
Define segregated conjugal roles?
- NF with more equal and joint conjugal roles and spend their leisure time together.
- the belief that couples are equal in terms of conjugal roles.
- social values and couples are gradually adapting to the fact that women are now working full time.
- husband - breadwinner. wife - homemaker. but spend their leisure time together.
