Couples Flashcards
What are the types of power in relationships?
Economic, Physical, Emotional, Sexual, Physiological
The symmetrical family
Willmott + Young found that women worked outside the house, and men worked inside the house. They began to share their leisure time, which meant greater equality. This was caused by new technology, standards of living, and changes in women’s roles.
Ann Oakley
Young and Willmott were criticized for their exaggerated findings. She found that 15% of husbands participated heavily in housework, and 25% helped with childcare. Even in this case, they would take the child ‘off of their hands’ so that the woman did more housework, and they lost the rewarding childcare.
Warde and Hetherington
Found that women were 30 times more likely to have last done the dished, while men were 4 times more likely to have been the last to wash the car. Found a trend in younger men who act differently, and don’t see women traditionally, as more equal.
Boulton (1993)
Agrees with Oakley, found that less than 20% of men helped in childcare (a decrease in Oakley’s previous research), women are still responsible for the safety and wellbeing of the child.
Employment rates
1971= 52% Women, 92% Men
2024= 72% Women, 78% Men
March of Progress
Sullivan (2000) argues that women going to work leads to a more equal division of labour at home. Men are becoming more involved in childcare and women are more involved in outside work.
Feminist view
Disagree that equality is being reached, paid work for women has led to a dual burden as they do outside and inside work. This means that women have more punctuated leisure time while men are more likely to have unstressful, uninterrupted leisure time.
British attitude survey
‘It’s a man’s job to earn money, and a woman’s job to look after the home and family’
1984- 43% Agree
2017-8% Agree
Triple shift
An extra layer of evidence is that there is a lack of symmetry, they are responsible for work, childcare/housework, and the emotional work of the family. This was introduced by Hochschild after he researched cabin crew.
Money Management
Pahl and Volger (1993) argue there are two types of control over money; Pooling (both parents have responsibility over and access to income), and allowance (men give wives a budget to spend on necessities and then keep the rest). Pooling has increased meaning greater equality. Doesn’t confirm equality as it depends on whether it is equally contributed to.
Cohabiting couples are more likely to retain their own money but share tasks and duties
Domestic Violence
Radical feminists think that men reinforce patriarchal control through violence. 1 in 4 women suffer abuse, and 1 woman per week dies at the hands of a partner.
