Couples Flashcards
What is parsons instrumental role
The husband has an instrumental role in the functionalist model of the family
Geared towards achieving success at work so he can provide for the family
He is the breadwinner
Who has an expressive role
The wife has an expressive role
Geared towards primary socialisation of the children and meeting the families emotional needs
She is the homemaker
Parsons argument about divisions of labour being biological differences
Women are naturally suited to the nurturing role
Men are suited to the provider
This benefits both men and women to their children and wider society
Criticisms of parsons division of labour
Micheal young and Peter willmott argue men are taking a greater share of domestic tasks and more wives are becoming wage earners
Feminists reject the view that the division of labour is natural and argue it only benefits men
Elizabeth bott segregated conjugal roles
Where the couple have separate roles
A male breadwinner and a female homemaker
Their leisure activities are also seperate
Joint conjugal roles
Couples share tasks such as housework and childcare and spend leisure time together
The symmetrical family young and willmott
Take a march of progress view and see the family as gradually improving for all members, become,img more equal and democratic
Examples of the symmetrical family
Although the roles of husbands and wives are not identical they are much more similar
- women now go out to work, part time rather than full time
- men now help with housework and childcare
- couples now spend their leisure time together instead of severally with workmates or female relatives
Young and willmott study of families in London findings
Symmetrical families are more common among younger couples who are geographically and socially isolated and more affluent
Social changes that have caused a rise if the symmetrical nuclear family
- changes in womens position
- geographical mobility
- new technology
- higher standards of living
Feminist view of housework
They reject the march of progress view and argue very little has changed
Women still do most of the housework
Inequality stems from the fact that the family and society are male dominated or patriarchal
Anne Oakley findings
Only 15% of husbands had a high level of participation in housework
Only 25% of husbands had a high level of participations in childcare
Husbands were more likely to share childcare than in housework but only it’s more pleasurable aspects
Mary boulton later research supporting Oakley
Fewer than 20% of husbands had a major role in childcare
Young and willmott exaggerate mens contribution by looking at the tasks involved in childcare rather than responsibilities
A father may help with tasks but it was almost always the mother who was responsible for the child’s security and well being
What is the impact of paid work
The impact of paid work - most of the women in Oakley study in 1970s were full time housewives but today many more wives go out to work
Is this leading to a more equal division of domestic tasks, with a new man taking responsibility and doing an equal share of the housework and childcare - march of progress view
Or does this mean women now have to carry a dual burden of paid work as well as domestic work- feminist view
Taking responsibility for children
Boultons view supported by these studies:
Ferri and smith- fathers took responsibility for children in fewer than 4% of families
Dex and ward - 78% pfnfarhers played with their three year old children, only 1% took main responsibility when caring for a sick child
Émotion work and the triple shift
Women are often required to perform emotion work - responsible for for managing the emotions and feelings of family members such as jealousies, squabbles, ensuring everyone is happy
At the same time exercising and controlling their own emotions
Duncombe and marsden argue women have to perform a triple shift of housework, paid work and emotion work
Explaining the gender divisions of labour
The cultural or ideological explanation of inequality - division of labour is determined by patriarchal norms, women perform more domestic labour because that is what society expects them to do and has socialised them to do
The material or economic explanation of inequality - women generally earn less than men means it’s economically rational for women to do more of the housework and childcare
The allowance system - feminists pahl and vogker
Men give their wives an allowance out of which they have to budget to meet the family’s needs , the man retains any surplus income for himself
Pooling - feminists pahl and vogler
Both partners have access to income and joint responsibility for expenditure, eg a joint bank account
How is domestic violence far too widespread
According to womens aid federation, domestic violence account for between a sixth and a quarter of all recorded violent crime
The crime survey for England and Wales found that two million people reported having been victims of domestic abuse during the previous year
How does domestic violence not occur randomly
It follows social patterns that have social causes, one pattern is that it is mainly violence by men against women
Coleman found women were more likely to have experienced intimate violence across all types of four abuse - partner abuse, family abuse, sexual assault, and stalking
Define the term beanpole family
Long and thin extended family
- extended vertically (grandparents, parents and children)
