couples Flashcards
domestic division of labour - parsons instrumental and expressive roles AO1
instrumental = husband provides for the family financially - is the breadwinner
expressive = wife is responsible for the primary socialisation of the kids and homemaker
the division of labour is based on biological differences -
woman is ‘naturally’ suited to the nurturing role and men to the provider
domestic division of labour - parsons AO3
men are taking a greater share of domestic tasks and more wives are becoming wage earners
feminists reject the idea that the division is natural - it only benefits men
domestic division of labour - segregated conjugal roles
couple has separate roles - male breadwinner and female homemaker
leisure is separate
domestic division of labour -joint conjugal roles
couples share tasks
leisure is spent together
young and willmott study AO2 for domestic division of labour
the symmetrical family was more common among younger couples. see the rise of the symmetrical nuclear family as the result of major social changes
e.g changes in women’s position
domestic division of labour - symmetrical family and sociologists
Young and Willmott - MoP view
trend away from segregated roles
roles of husbands and wives are much similar
women go to work
men help with housework
domestic division of labour - feminist view of housework
reject MoP view
men and women remain unequal
stems from the fact that the family and society are male-dominated and patriarchal
Oakley criticises Young and Willmott - their claims of the family being symmetrical are exaggerated
although husbands ‘helped’ their wives at least once a week its unclear the extent of the help
domestic division of labour - only ___% of husbands had a high level of participation in the housework Ao2
15%
are couples becoming more equal? - march of progress view - gershuny
women working full-time is leading to a more equal division of labour
feminist view - are couples becoming equal
women going into work has not led to greater equality
women now carry a dual burden
couple continue to divide household tasks along traditional gender lines
are couples becoming equal - survey on men v women doing housework AO2
men on average did 8 hours of housework a week and women did 13 hours
are couples becoming equal - survey on men v women doing housework AO3
does not measure the qualitative differences in the tasks
are couples becoming equal - fathers doing hosuework AO2
ferri and Msith
fathers took responsibility for childacre in fewer than 4% of families
are couples becoming equal - triple shift
housework, paid work, emotion work
are couples becoming more equal? - leisure time
scheduling family’s ‘quality time’ falls to mothers
mens leisure time = consolidated blocks
women’s = punctuated by childcare
are couples becoming equal - explanations for the unequal division of labour
the cultural or ideological explanation
the material or economic explanation
are couples becoming equal - the cultural explanation for unequal division
division is determined by patriarchal norms and values
are couples becoming equal - the material explanation for unequal division
the fact that women generally earn less means rear its economically rational for women to do more of the housework
are couples becoming equal - evidence for cultural explanation for the unequal division
equality will be achieved only when norms about gender roles change
gershuny
coupes whose parents had a more equal relationship are more likely to share housework equally themselves
are couples becoming equal - evidence for the material explanation for the unequal division
if women join the labour force and earn as much as their partners, we should expect to see men and women doing more equal amounts of domestic work
kan
for every £10,000 a year more a woman earns she does 2 hours less housework
are couples becoming equal - AO3 for material explanation for gender inequalities
feminists argue that inequalities in decision-making are not simply the result of inequalities in earnings. the cultural definition of men as decision-makers is deeply ingrained in both men and women and instilled through gender role socialisation.
Barrett and Mcintosh ao2 - resources and decision making
men gain far more from women’s domestic work that they give back in financial support
kempson ao2 - resources
among low income families women denied their own needs
resources and decision-making - 2 types of control over family income
the allowance system
pooling
resources and decision-making - the allowance system
men give their wives an allowance out of which they have to budget to meet all the family’s needs
resources and decision-making - pooling
where both partners have access to income and joint responsibility for expenditure
its on the increase
resources and decision making - pahl and vogler ao2 pooling
even where there was pooling, men usually made the major financial decision making
resources and decision-making - edgell’s study of couples
very important decisions - those involving finance = taken by only husband
important decisions - those about children’s education = made jointly
less important decisions - choice of home decor = made by wife
resources and decision-making - the meaning of money
nyman
money has no fixed meaning and different couples define it in different ways - these meanings can reflect the nature of the relationship
resources and decision-making - ‘personal life’ perspective on money
focuses on the meanings couples give to who controls the money
might assume that one partner controlling the money is a sign of inequality - for some couples it may not mean that
resources and decision-making - personal life perspective ao2 - smart
some gay men and lesbians attached no importance to who controlled the money.
there’s greater freedom for same-sex couples to do what suits them as a couple because they don’t enter relationships with the same heterosexual meanings around money
domestic violence - challenges to the idea that domestic violence is the behaviour of a few sick individuals
its too widespread - DV accounts for between 1/6 or 1/4 of all recorded violent crime
Dv does not occur randomly but follows social patterns - e.g its mainly violence by men against women
2 women a week are killed by a partner
domestic violence - official statistics understate the true extent about DV AO2
victims may not report it to the police - on average a woman suffers 35 assaults before making a report
victims are less likely to report it because they believe it’s not a matter for the police
police may be reluctant to record because the family is a private sphere, family is a good thing so they tend to neglect the darker side
women are free agents so can leave
domestic violence - official statistics ao3 - free agents
male violence is often coupled with male economic power - abused women are financially dependent on their husbands so are unable to leave
2 explanations of DV
radical feminist - emphasises the role of patriarchal ideas
materialist explanation - emphasises economic factors such as lack of resources
domestic violence - radical feminist explanation AO1
see family and marriage as the key institutions in patriarchal society and the main source of women’s oppression
men dominate through violence or threat of
DV serves to preserve the power of men - and helps to explain why it’s committed by mainly men
male domination of state institutions helps explain the reluctance of police and courts to deal effectively with cases
domestic violence - radical feminist explanation ao3
Elliot rejects this claim that all men benefit from violence against women - not all men are aggressive - most oppose DV - radicals ignore this
radicals also fail to explain female violence (child abuse and against men) - 18% of me have experienced DV
domestic violence - materialist explanation for DV AO1
economic and material factors - inequalities in income and housing explain why some are more at risk than others
Wilkinson and Pickett - DV as a result of stress on family members caused by social inequality <– = less resources than others = higher level so stress = higher risk of conflict and violence
for example worries about money, jobs and housing
materialist explanation for DV ao3 - view is useful
Wilkinson and Pickett’s view is useful in showing how social inequality produces stress and triggers conflict and violence in families. helps to explain the class differneces in DV
materialist explanation for DV ao3 - marxist feminism
marxist fems also see inequality causing DV - Ansley: wives are ‘takers of shit’ - Dv is a product of capitalism, male workers are exploited at work and take out their frustration on wives
