Couples Flashcards
Domestic divisions of Labor : Functionalist view
Parsons (1955)
Two roles based on biological differences, they benefit both spouses, their children & wider society
1) expressive role: female
2) instrumental role: male
New right agrees with this, however, Young and Willmott believe men now take a greater share of tasks & females are becoming wage earners.
Domestic Divisions of Labor: Feminist view
Boulton (1983) Women are responsible for child welfare, less than 1 in 5 husbands took a major role in childcare
Oakley (1974) argues that there is no evidence of symmetry in domestic labor and men’s role has been exaggerated as helping could mean just ironing their shirts once a week.
Domestic divisions of labour: symmetrical family
Young & Willmott’s (1973) March of Progress view sees a long-term trend towards joint conjugal roles as more women go out to work, help with domestic tasks, and spend leisure time together, and men are more home-centered.
Feminist Oakley goes against this view as she believes men exaggerate the view as they are only ironing their shirts once a week.
Domestic divisions of labor: reasons for the symmetrical family
- geographical mobility
- changes in women’s position
- higher standards of living
- new technology
domestic divisions of labour: conjugal roles
Bott (1957) establishes two types of marital roles
1) segregated: sharp divisions of labor between male breadwinners and female homemakers, and leisure time is spent separately.
2) joint: couples share domestic tasks and leisure time
More equality in couples : feminist view
- dual burden : paid & domestic work
- triple shift: emotion work, paid work, domestic work
- responsible for children
- responsible for quality time
more equality in couples: responsibility for children
Fathers help with specific tasks but mum takes responsibility for the child’s well - being.
Dex & Ward: only 1% of fathers took the main responsibility for caring for a sick child
Braun et al: most dads are ‘ background fathers’ they had a ‘provider ideology’: their main role was breadwinner, not a primary carer.
more equality in couples : responsibility for ‘quality time’
women take responsibility for managing the family’s quality time, in late modernity 24/7 society and flexible working means that people’s time is more fragmented and de-routinized, leads to what Dunscombe and Marsden call the ‘triple shift’
more equality in couples : same-sex couples and gender scripts
radical feminists argue that heterosexual relationships are inevitably patriarchal and unequal, even when both are paid -we rock this contrast with same-sex relationships.
Dunne (1999) study of 37 lesbian couples with children found an equal division of labor
- lesbian couples don’t link gender to households tasks, they’re more open to negotiation and therefore more equal
material deprivation of gender divisions of labour
Ramos (2003) the woman is the breadwinner and the man is unemployed, they do equal amounts of domestic work.
Women earn less than men, so its economically rational for them to do more domestic labour whilst men work and earn money
cultural explanation of gender of division of labour
Patriarchal norms shape gender roles, women perform more domestic work as society expects that, and has socialized them to do so.
Kan (2001) younger men do more domestic work
Gershuny (1994) states couples are adapting to women working, establishing a new norm of men doing more domestic work
more equality in couples : march of progress view
Sullivan (2000) argues that women do less domestic work, men do more traditional ‘women’s tasks and there’s a more equal division of labor.
decision making and paid work
men had greater control as they earned more.
Paul & Volger (1993)
- allowance system: men work and give their non-working wives an allowance, they budget this to meet the family’s needs.
- pooling: partners work and have joint responsibility for spending
decision making and resource
Kempson (1994) women in low-income families are denied their own needs to make ends meet., even in households with adequate income, resources are still shared unequally, leaving women in poverty.
professional couples and decision making
Edgell (1980) study found:
- very important decisions : man
- important deccisons : joint
- less importnat decisons: woman
