COUPLES Flashcards
DOMESTIC DIVISION OF LABOUR
PARSONS: In a TRADITIONAL NUCLEAR FAMILY, the role of men and women are segregated. PARSONS sees there is a CLEAR DIVISION OF LABOUR: HUSBANDS have the INSTRUMENTAL ROLE: BREADWINNER and WIVES have the EXPRESSIVE ROLE; SOCILAISING CHILDREN and being a HOUSEWIFE. He sees that this is BASED ON BIOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES, women are NATURALLY nurturing and men providers. PARSONS further argues that the DIVISION OF LABOUR IS BENEFICIAL TO WOMEN, MEN, THEIR CHILDREN and WIDER SOCIETY.
BOTT: distinguishes TWO TYPES OF CONJUGAL ROLES (roles within marriage): SEGREGATED, roles are SEPARATED: MEN are BREADWINNERS, WOMEN are HOME-MAKERS, and their LEISURE TIME is SEPARATED. And JOINT- couples SHARE tasks like HOUSEWORK and CHILDCARE and LEISURE TIME. YOUNG and WILLMOTT found a PATTERN OF SEGREGATED CONJUGAL ROLES in the 50s, men were the BREADWINNER and played LITTLE PART IN HOME LIFE and spent their LEISURE TIME with WORKMATES whilst their WIVES WERE AT HOME.
YOUNG and WILLOTT: argue FAMILY LIFE has IMPROVED for ALL its members and is BECOMING MORE EQUAL, away from SEGREGATED CONJUGAL ROLES and TOWARDS the SYMMETRICAL FAMILY. Where ROLES between HUSBANDS and WIVES are SIMILAR: WOMEN now go to work and MEN help with HOUSEWORK. The RISE of this is DUE to SOCIAL CHANGES in the PAST CENTURY like CHANGES IN WOMEN’S POSITION and HIGHER STANDARDS of LIVING. Many of these factors are INTERLINKED: the changes in women’s position means that more married women are working and bringing a second wage into the family which raises the living standards.
FEMINISTS: reject YOUNG and WILLMOTT’s view. They see that LITTLE has changed, MEN and WOMEN remain UNEQUAL and WOMEN still do MOST OF THE HOUSEWORK. This INEQUALITY is due to the FAMILY being PATRIARCHAL. OAKLEY argues YOUNG and WILLMOTT’S claim that the family is SYMMETRICAL is EXAGGERATED. She found ONLY 15% of MEN HAD HIGH PARTICIPATION IN HOUSEWORK and 25% had HIGH PARTICIPATION IN CHILDCARE (the more PLEASURABLE ASPECTS). FATHER’S ROLE was DEFINED as ‘TAKING AN INTEREST’; A ‘GOOD FATHER’ was someone who played with children in the evenings. This could mean that MOTHERS LOST THE REWARDS of CHILDCARE like PLAYING with their CHILDREN, and thus left with the HOUSEWORK.
COUPLES BECOMING MORE EQUAL??
MARCH OF PROGRESS: GERSHUNY argues WOMEN WORKING FULL-TIME is leading to a more EQUAL DIVISION OF LABOUR. He found they did LESS DOMESTIC WORK than other WOMEN. Similarly, SULLIVAN found a TREND towards WOMEN doing a SMALLER share of DOMESTIC TASKS and MEN doing MORE. There was also EVIDENCE of an INCREASE in the NUMBER of COUPLES with an EQUAL DIVISION of LABOUR.
FEMINISTS: suggest women in PAID WORK has NOT lead to GREATER EQUALITY in the DIVISION of LABOUR as WOMEN NOW CARRY THE DUAL BURDEN of PAID WORK and DOMESTIC LABOUR. A SURVEY found that MEN on average did 8 HOURS of HOUSEWORK a WEEK, whereas WOMEN did 13 HOURS. Additionally, the SURVEY found that COUPLES DIVIDED TASKS into TRADITIONAL GENDER LINES. Eg, women were likely to do the LAUNDRY and MEN were likely to do REPAIRS AROUND THE HOUSE. FEMINISTS further suggest that WOMEN ARE REQUIRED TO PERFORM ‘EMOTION WORK’: responsible for managing emotions of family members whilst controlling their own emotions. DUNCOMBE and MARSDEN see that women perform a TRIPLE SHIFT of PAID WORK, DOMESTIC LABOUR and EMOTION WORK.
MONEY MANAGEMENT+ DECISION MAKING
MONEY MANAGEMENT:
FEMINISTS: PAHL and VOGLER identify TWO MAIN TYPES OF CONTROL over FAMILY INCOME: ALLOWANCE SYSTEM (men give their wives an ALLOWANCE to meet the FAMILY’S NEEDS and then keep the surplus income for himself). POOLING is where BOTH PARTNERS have ACCESS to MONEY and have JOINT RESPONSIBILITY of their spending: joint bank account.
DECISION MAKING:
There is an assumption that POOLING suggests MORE EQUALITY in DECISION MAKING. HOWEVER, if the POOLED INCOME is CONTROLLED by the HUSBAND, this gives MEN MORE POWER IN FINANCIAL DECISIONS. EDGELL found that DECISIONS INVOLVING FINANCE were TAKEN BY THE HUSBAND or JOINTLY, with the HUSBAND having the FINAL SAY, DECISIONS about CHILDREN were TAKEN JOINTLY, SELDOM the WIFE and DECISIONS about the HOUSE were usually made by the WIFE. EDGELL argues MEN make DECISIONS more because they earn more; thus, women being DEPENDENT on them, have less say.
FEMINISTS: argue that INEQUALITIES in DECISION MAKING found in the CULTURAL DEFINITION that men are DECISION MAKERS which is DEEPLY INGRAINED in men and women and INSTILLED by GENDER SOCIALISATION. Until the definition is CHALLENGED, decision making is likely to remain unequal.
PERSONAL LIFE PERSPECTIVE: focuses on the meanings couples give to money. Some couples see that one of them controlling the money as a sign of INEQUALITY, but to others it doesn’t have that meaning. SMART found SAME-SEX COUPLES held NO IMPORTANCE to who controlled the money and were happy to leave it to their partners. To them CONTROLLING MONEY didn’t mean there was INEQUALITY in the RELATIONSHIP. She suggest this FREEDOM for same-sex couples to do what suits them, is founded because they are not in a relationship that holds ‘HISTORICAL, GENDERED MEANINGS AROUND MONEY’ OR SEE IT AS A SOURCE OF POWER, unlike HETROSEXUAL COUPLES.
DOMESTIC ABUSE
