Couples Flashcards
What does Parson’s say about the domestic division of labour?
There are two roles;Instrumental and expressive, based on biological differences (women naturally suited to nurturing role)
instrumental- husband, breadwinner,provider for family
Expressive-wife,housewife, homemaker
2 criticisms of Parsons instrumental and expressive roles?
-Young and Willmot found division of labour becoming more equal
-Feminists argue division is not natural but is there to benefit men
What does Bott say about the domestic division of labour?
Segregated conjugal roles- leisure time apart, seperate roles e.g breadwinner,housewife
Joint conjugal roles- Shared tasks e.g housework and childcare, leisure time together
How do Young and Willmott’s study support Joint and segregated conjugal roles?
-Family in Bethnall Green
-male breadwinner spent leisure time with work collegues
-Female housewife, only socialised with female kin and spent any leisure time with them, both contribute to homemaking
What is Young and Wilmotts view of domestic divison of labour?
-March of progress view through the increase in symettrical families, in which conjugal roles are not identical but more similar
Within which groups are symmetrical families more common?
Younger couples
Geographically and socially isolated
Affluent
What has caused the rise in symmetrical family? (4 points)
-Changes in womenbs position
- Labour saving devices
-Higher standards of living
-Geographical mobility
How does Oakley criticise Wilmott and Youngs symetrical family?
Argue it is exxagerated as men only take on the few pleasurable aspects of housework meaning mothers lost the rewards of childcare
Warde and Hetherington
-Sex typing- gender domains for housework e.g laundry and fixing cars, men only take on female tasks when woman is not around
-sex typing was reduced in younger couples
Gershuny
Working women did less domestic tasks than non working women
How much more housework do women do compared to men?
Twice as much
Duncombe and Marsden
Argue that working women perform triple shift ;paid work, house work and emotional work (Hothschild)
What is the cultural explanation for gender division of labour?
Division of labour determined by patriarchal norms and values that instil the idea that houswork is what women are socialised into and meant to do
What is the material/economic explanation for the gender division of labour?
Women earn less so it is rayional for men to do the paid work
Give three pieces of evidence that support the cultural explanation for the gender division of labour
Gershuny- couples whose parents had a more equal relationship are more likely to share houswork equally
Man Yee Kan- Younger men do more domestic work, shows generational shift
Dunne- lesbian couples had more symmetrical relationships because of the absence of gender scripts, so not set roles to fall into
Provide supporting evidence for the material explanation for the gender division of labour
Ramos- in household where man is unemployed, he does just as much housework as a female homemaker
What are the two types of money management in families according to Pahl and Vogler
Allowance system- men give wives an allowance of his salary to satisfy the families needs
Pooling- both partners have access to income and spending e.g joint bank account, more common in dual earner
What did Edgells find about decision making in professional couples?
very important descisions (finance, jobs, houses) taken on by husband alone/ jointly with mans final say
-important descions e.g holidays, childrens schools taken jointly/ wife alone
-less importany e.g home decor,food,clothes taken on by wife
-this is because women earn less and so are economically depenent and have less say
What is teh feminist explanation for inequalities in decsision making
gender role socialisation teaches that men are decision makers
-Until this is changes it will always be unequal
What is the personal life perspective on money in decision making?
Smart- some gay couples attached no importance to control of money it doesnt = inquality in a relationship to them
-Weeks- co-independence in some couples; pooling for houshold spending but seperate accounts for personal spending
What did Dobash and Dobash find about domestic violence
Looked at court records and interviews with women in refugees and found Dv occured when male authority was challenged
-They argue marriage legitimises domestic violence through power and authoirty of husbands
How may official statistics understate the true extent of DV?
- Victims may be unqilling to report to the police as they believe it is trivial and fear not being believed
-Police may be reluctant to deal with DV cases as the family is a private sphere and the woman is ‘free to leave’ but disregard the fact that women may lack economic capital to do so (Cheal)
What did Yearnshire find about DV?
Took on average 35 assaults for women to report it
What is the radical feminist explanation for DV?
-All men benefit from violence against women and all men are violent
Domestic violence occurs due to the patriarchal society that allows men to exert their power over women,
-Men dominate state institutions and so police are thus less reluctant to effectively deal with DV cases
Evaluate the radical feminist explanation for DV
-Not all men are aggressive and most oppose DV
-Fail to explain female violence e.g child abuse, Dv against male partners, lesbian DV (18% of men have experienced DV)
-Fails to explain which women are more likely to be victims e.g w/c, low incomes, young etc
According to the office of national statistics (2014) which women are more likely to experience DV
-Young women
-Lowest social classes, living in deprived areas
-those with long term illness/ disabilities
What is the materialist explanation for DV?
Wilkinson and Kate- Dv is a result of stress due to social inequality;
-worries about job, money and housing may lead to domestic conflict
-Lack of money and time reduces social support for those under stress
Evaluate the materialist explanation for DV
-Explains the class difference in Dv rates
-Do not explain why women are the main victims
-Marxist feminists e.g Ansley say women are takers of shit and experience Dv due to mens frustration at the workplace
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