Conjugal Roles

Question 0

BOTT 1957

Answer 0

Joint and segregated roles.

Question 1

What is conjugal roles?

Answer 1

The division of labour within a marriage

Question 2

What new type of family did young and Wilmot identify?

Answer 2

Symmetrical family. Roles are similar but not identical.

Question 3

In whom is the symmetrical family most commonly found?

Answer 3

Young , Geographically and socially isolated and affluent couples (Y&W)

Question 4

Why do young and wilmot claim the symmetrical family had arisen?

Answer 4

Change in the position of women
New technology
Increased standards of living
Geographical mobility

Question 5

What 4 stages of family development did young and Wilmot identify?

Answer 5

Pre industrial- family = production team
Early industrial- segregated work and leisure
70s- privatised, more symmetry, women deal most with the home.
Prediction- increased tech at home and work = segregated roles, leisure away from home. *

Question 6

Who criticised Young and Wilmot’s claim of the symmetrical family?

Answer 6

Oakley 1974. Said their survey presented no evidence of symmetry and was based on 1 question. Helping with kids once a week counted as symmetry.

Question 7

What stats are there to reinforce the concept of symmetry?

Answer 7

Future foundations 2000
1000 adults, 60% men do more housework than fathers,40% of women do less than mothers.

Shows generational change.

Question 8

What stats disprove the concept of symmetry?

Answer 8

National stats
Women do 2 1/2 more hours of housework than men.

Men have 1 1/2 more leisure.

Question 9

What did Warde and Hetherington’s research on the division of labour find?

Answer 9

Men 4x more likely to do DIY

Women 30x more likely to do washing

Question 10

What is the domestic division of labour?

Answer 10

Refers to the roles men and women play in relation to housework, childcare and work.

Question 11

What was Parsons theory on the division of labour?

Answer 11

2 roles:
Expressive- primary socialisation and emotions
Woman
Instrumental- focus on work success. Male

Argues this is biological and natural.

Question 12

Why did Young and Wilmot criticise Parsons in 1962?

Answer 12

Men were increasingly doing domestic tasks and women were increasingly in work.

Question 13

Why did feminists criticise Parsons?

Answer 13

Not biological, socially constructed!

Question 14

What did Oakley find in her study?

Answer 14

Men do the nice tasks.

Question 15

What did Boulton find in her study? When was it?

Answer 15

1983, <20% of men had primary role in childcare.Y&W look at tasks not responsibility.

Question 16

What did Silver (1987) and Schor (1993) say?

Answer 16

Commercialisation of housework reduce burden.

Schor- Death if the housewife role.

Question 17

What do critics of Schor and Silver say?

Answer 17

Not an option for poorer women

Burden us lower but still not equally shared.

Question 18

How has the number of women working increased?

Answer 18

1971- Less than half worked

2008- 3/4 married/cohabiting work.

Question 19

Man Yee Khan (2001)

Answer 19

Every £10,000 increase in a woman’s salary, weekly housework reduced by 2hrs.

Question 20

Crompton 1997

Answer 20

Cannot be equal until wage equal.

Question 21

Gershunny 1994

Answer 21

If female:
Unemployed- 83% housework
Part Time- 82% housework
Full time- 75% housework

Change in societal values but if parents equal, more likely to be equal.

Question 22

Who studied secondary data in 1975, 77, and 97? What did they conclude?

Answer 22

Sullivan in 2000

More couples with equal division.

Question 23

Duncombe and Marsden 1995

Answer 23

Triple shift

Question 24

Hoschild 1983

Answer 24

Women employed in emotion work sector. Low paid as associated with women.

Question 25

Morris 1990 and unemployment?

Answer 25

Male unemployed won’t help with housework as masculinity damaged.

Question 26

Who disagrees with Morris’s view?

Answer 26

Ramos 2003

If man unemployed and female full time, domestic labour matches that of partner.

Question 27

What vicious circle did ABER and GIN find in their 1995 study?

Answer 27

Childcare unaffordable for W.C.

Childcare-part time-low paid work-repeat.

Question 28

Ferri and Smith 1996

Answer 28

Studied 1589 33yr old couples.

<4% of men had prime responsibility for childcare.

Question 29

Kempson 1994

Answer 29

Women in low income families denied their needs. Guilt as don’t feel entitled to.

Question 30

Graham 1984

Answer 30

Over half divorced mothers better off on benefits, income stable.

Question 31

Barrett and Macintosh 1991

Answer 31

Men gain more from women’s domestic and emotion work than give, income has strings attached, unstable. Men make big decisions

Question 32

Dunne 1999

Answer 32

GENDER SCRIPTS - conform to expected role.
Studied 37 lesbian couples with dependent children, lots of symmetry.
Paid work did effect.

Question 33

Who supports Dunne’s theory of the gender script?

Answer 33

Weeks 1999

Equal as negotiable,no patriarchal trad or expectation

Question 34

Pahl and Vogler 1993

Answer 34

2 main types of financial control:

Pooling- joint. Studied 1211 couples and their parents, rise from 19-50%. More common if full time but man still make decisions.

Allowance- gives wife money, keeps surplus.

Question 35

Edgell 1980

Answer 35

Studied professional couples:
Big decisions: male or joint. Male has final say.
Medium:joint
Less: I.e clothes female.

Says this is because of males earning more.

Question 36

Hardhill 1997

Answer 36

30 dual career couples, decisions joint or man. Male career priority.

Question 37

Who supports Hardhill’s 1997 findings?

Answer 37

Finch 1983

Wives lives structured around husbands career.