Conjugal roles/domestic equality Flashcards
Conjugal roles - definition
Domestic roles that spouses are responsible for within their relationship. Often split according to gender
Domestic division of labour - definition
The way that domestic tasks are divided up
Expressive role
Typically performed by women through work within the house
Instrumental role
Typically performed by men as they have a large role outside of the family
Wilmott and Young
Believed that the increase in the nuclear family meant more joint conjugal roles would develop and that equal and shared responsibilities would become the norm
-Believed joint conjugal role would be egalitarian by 1970s
Feminists response to Wilmott and Young
Oakley (1974) - rejected idea of joint conjugal roles and argued patriarchy was a major characteristic of major nuclear family
Contemporary feminists believe there is little evidence that equality exists within domestic labour
Housework
Craig (2007) - women do between one-third and one-half more housework than men. Inequality began when couple had children
Ben-Galim and Thompson (2013) -8/10 married women carry out more work around the house than men
Despite more women now in employment, less equality in household - 70% of households report laundry is ‘always done by a woman’ - large division of labour
After marriage, men will perform less work than previously
-Evidence that joint conjugal roles have not yet been reached, with higher levels of household responsibility falling to women
-Unequal division of labour - evidence for patriarchy
-Feminists perspective supported as women face the ‘dual’ burden of two jobs - one paid and one unpaid
Decision-making
Found that decision making in households was a result of income. Vogler and Pahl (2001) - most decision making was controlled by men as they typically make more
Jan Pahl (1993) - most common financial management was that money was shared, but the husband had the ultimate decision as to what it was used for. Feminists - evidence for patriarchy
Hardill (1997) - M/C major financial decisions made by husband, less important made by wife. Saw higher career and breadwinner role gave them dominance. This can shift if man is unemployed or no longer provider, but not always
Leisure time
Green (1996) - For women, split between leisure time and domestic labour is less defined - for men, time outside of paid employment is leisure time
2005 Surrey - on average, male spent 5 hours and 25 minutes on leisure compared to 4 hours and 53 minutes for women. Argued that domestic labour of women is ‘tedious’. creating a further emotional impact and
Example of expressive burden/role of women
Emotion work
Duncombe and Marsden (1995) - emotion work is also carried out by women, women from an early age are more likely to be empathetic, allowing them to be more comfortable with maintaining relationship between the father and children, planning for events. Strengthening the family unit
Hochschild (2003) - women are bound by their gender into this role so it largely goes unnoticed
Many women felt they were holding relationship together as they were the only one putting in an emotional input - led to ‘shallow acting’ where they ignore their emotional insecurity in order to keep family together
Creates a triple shift - emotion work, paid employment, unpaid
Looking after children
Smith (2009) - within nuclear family, men carry out 25% of child-care needs during working week
Time spent with children varies between men and women - men spend time talking and playing with children, whereas women spend time traditionally spend time performing services for their children
Miller (2010) fatherhood roles are not as clear cut as motherhood
1996 Surrey - unusual for men to take primary care of children, even when women were in paid employment. Suggests that the growth of female employment has done little to decrease division of labour - suggests egalitarian roles have little evidence behind them
Marxist feminists views
-Marxist feminists - argue that unpaid labour of own benefits capitalism as maintain current work force and produce next
Radical feminists views
Believe women are directly oppressed by men within the household. Believe patriarchy created the role of the housewife and uses it to benefit men
Do not believe that equality can be ever achieved due both the threat of violence over women
Biological explanations for inequality in domestic labour
Parsons - women are ‘naturally suited to caring for the young’ because they have babies
Murdock -says men have greater physical strength to work
Familial and patriarchal explanations for inequalities in domestic labour
Bernades (Feminist) - ideology of family life is patriarchal, breadwinner being a male role, femininity is primarily associated with motherhood, despite changes in workplace
Leonard - men resist change as current division of labour suit them
Oakley - ‘men are a privileged group’ - any changes that have been made are women pushing for change
O’Brien and Shamir - masc and fem roles have discouraged men from doing ‘women’s work’
McKee and Bell - unemployed men did no more housework’s, Ramos found that unemployed men did the same domestic labour as a full time working partner
