Conjugal Roles Flashcards
BOTT 1957
Joint and segregated roles.
What is conjugal roles?
The division of labour within a marriage
What new type of family did young and Wilmot identify?
Symmetrical family. Roles are similar but not identical.
In whom is the symmetrical family most commonly found?
Young , Geographically and socially isolated and affluent couples (Y&W)
Why do young and wilmot claim the symmetrical family had arisen?
Change in the position of women
New technology
Increased standards of living
Geographical mobility
What 4 stages of family development did young and Wilmot identify?
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. *
Who criticised Young and Wilmot’s claim of the symmetrical family?
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.
What stats are there to reinforce the concept of symmetry?
Future foundations 2000
1000 adults, 60% men do more housework than fathers,40% of women do less than mothers.
Shows generational change.
What stats disprove the concept of symmetry?
National stats
Women do 2 1/2 more hours of housework than men.
Men have 1 1/2 more leisure.
What did Warde and Hetherington’s research on the division of labour find?
Men 4x more likely to do DIY
Women 30x more likely to do washing
What is the domestic division of labour?
Refers to the roles men and women play in relation to housework, childcare and work.
What was Parsons theory on the division of labour?
2 roles:
Expressive- primary socialisation and emotions
Woman
Instrumental- focus on work success. Male
Argues this is biological and natural.
Why did Young and Wilmot criticise Parsons in 1962?
Men were increasingly doing domestic tasks and women were increasingly in work.
Why did feminists criticise Parsons?
Not biological, socially constructed!
What did Oakley find in her study?
Men do the nice tasks.
What did Boulton find in her study? When was it?
1983, <20% of men had primary role in childcare.Y&W look at tasks not responsibility.
What did Silver (1987) and Schor (1993) say?
Commercialisation of housework reduce burden.
Schor- Death if the housewife role.
What do critics of Schor and Silver say?
Not an option for poorer women
Burden us lower but still not equally shared.
How has the number of women working increased?
1971- Less than half worked
2008- 3/4 married/cohabiting work.
Man Yee Khan (2001)
Every £10,000 increase in a woman’s salary, weekly housework reduced by 2hrs.
Crompton 1997
Cannot be equal until wage equal.
Gershunny 1994
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.
Who studied secondary data in 1975, 77, and 97? What did they conclude?
Sullivan in 2000
More couples with equal division.
Duncombe and Marsden 1995
Triple shift
