Couples

Question 1

How were couples laid out in the 19th century?

Answer 1

• women themselves were considered property
• upon marrying, a women’s property becomes her husbands
• access to divorce was unequal
• very patriarchal

Question 2

What is the domestic division of labour?

Answer 2

Refers to the roles that men and women play in relation to housework, childcare and paid work

Question 3

What is the instrumental role? Who plays it?

Answer 3

-husband

Geared toward achieving success at work so that he can provide financially for the family. BREADWINNER

Question 4

What is the expressive role? Who plays it?

Answer 4

-wife

Geared towards primary socialisation of the children and meeting the emotional needs of the family. HOMEMAKER

Question 5

Who suggested there was the instrumental and expressive role?

Answer 5

Talcott Parsons

Question 6

What does Parsons argue?

Answer 6

The division of labour is based on biological differences, with women ‘naturally’ suited to the butting role and men to that of provider
-he claims its beneficial for both men and women, children and wider society

Question 7

Who agrees with Parsons?

Answer 7

Conservative thinkers and politicians- new right

Question 8

Who criticised Parsons idea?

Answer 8

Michael young & peter willmott
(1962)
Feminist groups

Question 9

How did Michael Young and Peter Willmott (1962) criticise Parsons?

Answer 9

Argue that men are now taking a greater share of domestic tasks and more wives are becoming wage earners

Question 10

How did feminist groups criticise Parsons?

Answer 10

They reject Parsons view that the division of labour is natural. In addition, they argue that it only benefits men

Question 11

Who distinguishes 2 conjugal roles?

Answer 11

Elizabeth Bott (1957)

Question 12

What are the 2 conjugal roles?

Answer 12

• segregated

- joint

Question 13

What is segregated conjugal roles?

Answer 13

Where the couple have separate roles : a male breadwinner and a female homemaker (Parsons) and they spend their leisure activities separate

Question 14

What are joint conjugal roles?

Answer 14

Where the couple share tasks such as housework and childcare and spend their leisure time together

Question 15

Who did a study on segregated conjugal roles? Where was it?

Answer 15

Young and Willmott (1950s)

A traditional wc extended families in Bethnal Green, east London

Question 16

What did the study that young and Willmott did find about segregated conjugal roles

Answer 16

Men were the breadwinners. Women were full time housewives with sole responsibility for housework and childcare

Question 17

Who distinguishes the symmetrical family?

Answer 17

Young and Willmott (1973)

Question 18

What view does young and Willmott take on the symmetrical family?

Answer 18

‘March of progress’ view of the history of the family. they see family life as gradually improving for all it’s members, becoming more equal and democratic.

Question 19

How does Young and Willmott explain the symmetrical family?

Answer 19

• women now go out to work, although this maybe part time rather than full time
• men now help with housework and childcare
• couples now spend their leisure time together instead of separately with work mates and female relatives

Question 20

Young and Willmott see the rise of the symmetrical nuclear family as the result of major social changes. What are these?

Answer 20

• changes in women’s position
• geographical mobility
• new technology
• higher standards of living

Question 21

How does feminists view housework?

Answer 21

Feminist sociologists reject the ‘march of progress’ view. They argue that little has changed:men and women remain unequal within the family and women still do most of the housework. They see this inequality as stemming from the fact that the family and society are male dominated or patriarchal. Women occupy a subordinate and dependent role within the family and in wider society.

Question 22

Who criticised young and Willmott view of the family becoming more symmetrical?

Answer 22

Feminist: Ann Oakley (1974)criticises their view. She argues that their claims are exaggerated. Although young and Willmott found that most of the husbands they’d interviewed ‘helped their wives’ at least once a week, this could include small and easy tasks on one occassion. For Oakley, this Is hardly convincing evidence of symmetry

Question 23

What else did Ann Oakley argue about housework?

Answer 23

Domestic labour is heavily sex typed: men do diy and gardening, women do everything else. Women continue to do more housework than men, and of the domestic labour men do it tend to involve the ‘more rewarding’ aspects of childcare

Question 24

What did Man Yee-Kan (2001) find about the impact of paid work?

Answer 24

Found better paid, younger, more educated women do less housework per week

Question 25

What did Jonathan Gershuny (1994) find about the impact of paid work?

Answer 25

-women in full time work did less housework and the more their husbands did
-couples who’s parents had a more equal relationship were more likely to have a more equal relationship themselves
-Gershuny explains this in 2 ways:
•gradual change in society’s values
•changes in parental models
-however, he agreed with Oakley that domestic labour is sex typed

Question 26

What did Rosemary Crompton (1997) find out about the impact of paid work?

Answer 26

argued that changes in the domestic division of labour were connected to economic factors

• as women earn more, so men do more work at home
• but pay is not equal (3/4 of men’s pay)
• as long as there is unequal pay, there will be an unequal domestic division of labour

Question 27

What did the British Social Attitudes (2013) survey find out about the impact of paid work?

Answer 27

Fall in the number of people who thinks it’s the mans job to be a breadwinner and a women’s job to be the homemaker

Question 28

What is emotion work?

Answer 28

Women are often required to perform emotion work, where they are responsible for managing the emotions and feelings of family members, such as handling jealousies and squabbles between siblings, whilst maintaining her own emotions

Question 29

Who suggests a women carries out the triple shift?

Answer 29

Jean Duncombe and Dennis Marsden (1995)

Question 30

What does the triple shift consist of?

Answer 30

Emotion work
Paid work
Housework

Question 31

What 2 views are there when assessing the impact of paid work?

Answer 31

• march of progress view

- feminist view

Question 32

What is the march of progress view?

Answer 32

A ‘new man’ is evolving and is actively involved in domestic labour. Equality is gradually occurring

Question 33

What is the feminist view?

Answer 33

Women having to carry the ‘dual burden/triple shift’

Question 34

Who identifies 2 explanations for the unequal division of labour? What are they?

Answer 34

Rosemary Crompton & Claire Lyonette (2008)

• the cultural or ideological explanation of inequality
• the material or economic explanation of inequality

Question 35

What is the cultural or ideological explanation of inequality?

Answer 35

The division of labour is determined by patriarchal norms and values that shape the gender roles in our culture. Women perform more domestic labour simply because that is what society expects them to do and has socialised them to do

Question 36

What is the material or economic explanation of inequality?

Answer 36

The fact that women generally earn less than men means it is economically rational for women to do more of the housework and childcare while men spend their time earning money