Couples

Question 1

What is the domestic division of labour

Answer 1

Role men and women play in relation to housework, paid work and childcare.

Question 2

What roles did parsons believe men play?

Answer 2

The instrumental breadwinner role

Question 3

What role did parsons say women play?

Answer 3

Expressive role

Question 4

What did parsons say about the domestic division of labour

Answer 4

It was due to bio differences and benefits men, women and society

Question 5

How did Young and Wilmott disagree with Parsons?

Answer 5

They said men are taking on more domestic roles and women are becoming wage earners.
Feminists argue it only benefits males.

Question 6

What did roles did Bott propose?

Answer 6

Segregated conjugal roles- couples have separate roles and leisure activities
Joint conjugal roles- couples share tasks and leisure time

Question 7

What is the symmetrical family?

Answer 7

Roles are similar
Common in younger couples
Due to:
Geographical mobility
New tech
Higher standards of living

Question 8

What is the feminist view of housework?

Answer 8

Reject ‘March of progress’ view
Oakley: men do the ‘fun’ things

Question 9

What is the March of Progress view?

Answer 9

The view that couples are becoming more equal

Question 10

Feminist view on responsibility for children

Answer 10

Boulton: usually mothers who take care of child’s wellbeing
Only 1% fathers took care of sick children
Women have triple shift

Question 11

Feminist view of Responsibility for quality time

Answer 11

Southerton: mothers organise quality time
Men get uninterrupted leisure time while women’s leisure time involves childcare- double burden

Question 12

Explanation for gender division of labour

Answer 12

Cultural/ ideological explanations
Material/ economic explanations

Question 13

Cultural/ ideological explanation

Answer 13

Division determined by patriarchal norms and values - gender roles
Gershuny- couples with parents with equal relationships had more equal relationships themselves

Question 14

Material/ economic explanation

Answer 14

Women earn less so is therefore economically rational for women to do more housework
Sullivan- women working full time - more equal division of labour

Question 15

Resources and decision making

Answer 15

Men gain more in domestic labour than women do in financial support as it is unpredictable and comes with strings attached. Men decide about spending on important items.

Question 16

Two types of control of family income

Answer 16

Allowance system- man gives women allowance and budget
Pooling system- both have access to income and joint responsibility for expenditure

Question 17

Personal life perspective

Answer 17

Emphasis on who controls money
Gay couples don’t place importance on who controls the money

Question 18

Domestic violence

Answer 18

Any incident of controlling, coercive or threatening behaviour, violence or abuse .

Question 19

Social not psychological

Answer 19

Too widespread - 2 mil people reported DV - CSEW(13/14)
Doesn’t occur randomly - Dobash & Dobash women experience abuse when they challenge authority

Question 20

Gender Differences in DV

Answer 20

Women - 7.3%
Men - 5%
Women more likely to face DV

Question 21

Official Statistics

Answer 21

Underestimate extent of violence:
Unwillingness to report
Police may be reluctant to record, investigate or prosecute.

Question 22

Radical Feminist Explanation of DV

Answer 22

DV due to patriarchy in family and marriage
Male domination of state institutions explains reluctance of police

Question 23

Evaluation of Radical Feminist Explanation.

Answer 23

Elliot - rejects idea that all DV benefits men as not all are violent and most oppose it
Fails to explain female violence
Doesn’t explain why women are more likely to be victims

Question 24

Materialist Explanation of DV

Answer 24

Result of stress on family by social inequalities and low incomes.

Question 25

Evaluation of Materialist explanation of DV

Answer 25

Helps explain class differences in DV
Doesn’t explain why women are the main victims
Not all low income families face DV