Couples Flashcards
What is the instrumental role according to Parsons?
The husbands role. Geared towards achieving success at work so that he can provide for the family financially. Breadwinner
What is the expressive role?
The wife. Geared towards primary socialisation of the children and meeting the family’s emotional needs. She is the homemaker, a full time housewife rather than a wage earner
What does Parsons argue?
That this division of labour is based on biological differences., with women naturally suited to nurturing and men to that of the provider. It is beneficial to them, children and society.
How has parsons been criticised?
Young and Willmott argue men are now taking as greater share of domestic tasks and more wives are becoming wage earners
Feminists rejects the view that division of labour is natural. It benefits men only
What is segregated conjugal roles according to Bott?
The couple have separate roles
What are joint conjugal roles according to Bott?
Where the couple shares tasks in the home and spend their leisure time together
What did Young and Willmott identify in their study of traditional extended working class families in Bethnal Green in 1950s?
A pattern of segregated conjugal roles
Men played little part in home life and spent their leisure time with workmates in pubs. Women’s sole responsibility was housework
What kind of view do Young and Willmott take?
A march of progress view
What is the symmetrical family according to Young and Willmott?
The roles of husbands and wives, although not identical, are now much more similar- women go out to work, men help with housework and childcare, couples spend their leisure time together. Family life is gradually improving for all its members, becoming more equal and democratic.
Who did Young and Willmott find the symmetrical family was the most common in?
Younger couples
Those geographically and socially isolated
More affluent
What is the cause of the symmetrical family according to Young and Willmott?
Changes in women’s position
Geographically mobile
New technology
Higher standards of living
What do feminists think of the march of progress view?
Reject it. Little has changed- women do all the housework. This stems from the fact society is patriarchal.
How does Anne Oakley criticise Young and Willmott’s view?
The claims are exaggerated. Taking their children on a walk or making breakfast once a week is hardly convincing evidence of symmetry.
What did Anne Oakley find in her own research?
15% of husbands had a high participation in housework. Husbands were more likely to help in the pleasurable aspects of childhood rather than housework. Most couples define the father’s role as ‘taking an interest’. They may play with them in the evenings or take them off the wife’s hands on a Sunday. Mothers lose the rewards of childcare.
How much more work do women do than men in the home?
Twice as much
What did Boulton find about responsibility for children?
Although fathers may help perform some specific childcare tasks, it is usually the mother who takes responsibility for the child’s security and wellbeing. Eg only 1% of fathers take care of a sick child
What is emotion work?
Managing the emotions and feelings of family members. Duncombe and Marsden call this the triple shift
What did Gershuny find?
Women working full time did less domestic work
What is the cultural explanation of inequality?
Division of labour is determined by patriarchal norms and values in society. Women do domestic work because they are expected to by society
What evidence is there for the cultural explanation?
Gershuny found that couples whose parents had an equal relationship are likely to be more equal themselves
What is the material explanation for inequality?
The fact that women earn less means they should do the housework while the man earns more money
What evidence is there for the material explanation?
Findings that when the woman works full time and the man is unemployed he does as much domestic work as she does
What do Barrett and McIntosh note?
Men gain more from women’s domestic work than they give back in financial support
The financial support that the husbands give their wives is unpredictable and comes with ‘strings attached’
Men usually make decisions about spending
What is the allowance system according to Pahl and Vogler?
Where men give their wives an allowance out of which they have to budget it meet the family’s needs, with the man retaining any surplus income for himself
What is pooling according to Pahl and Vogler?
Where both partners have access to income and joint responsibility for expenditure eg joint bank account. This is on the increase. This does not mean that those who Pool are always equal
What did Edgell’s find about decision making?
Very important decisions- moving house, changing jobs. Decided by the man or jointly with the man having the final say
Important decisions- children’s education, holidays. Jointly or by the wife
Less important decisions- home decor or food purchase made by the wife
What does Edgell argue?
Men take on more decions because women are economically dependent on them
What is the personal life perspective on money?
Focuses on the meanings couples give to who controls the money. The meanings that money has in relationships cannot be taken for granted. Eg some gay people did not attach who has the money with inequality. It is essential to start from the personal meanings of the actors involved.
How is the idea that domestic violence is done by a few sick individuals challenged?
Too widespread to be simply the work of disturbed individuals.
It does not occur randomly but follows particular social patterns and these patterns have social causes. It is mainly men against women. One third of all female homicide victims are killed by their partner or former partner
How did Dobash and Dobash argue violence could be set off?
Challenge to husbands authority. Marriage legitimates violence against women by conferring power and authority on husbands and dependency on wives
Why do official stats understate the true extent of domestic violence?
Victims may be unwilling to report it to the police. Fear of reprisal or police thinking it is too trivial
Police and prosecutors may be reluctant to record or prosecute reports. This is because they are reluctant to get involved in family life:
Family is the private sphere so access by the state should be limited
Family is a good thing so agencies neglect the darker side
Women are free to leave
What is the radical feminist explanation of domestic v?
This emphasises the role of patriarchal ideas, cultural values and institutions
What is the materialist explanation of dv?
This emphasises economic factors such as lack of resources
What do radical feminists think?
Men are the enemy
Family and marriage are the main source of oppression.
Widespread domestic violence is inevitable
How is radical feminism criticised?
Fails to explain violence committed by females eg to children or in lesbian relationships
Not all men are aggressive and most are opposed to dv
Doesn’t say what women are affected
What do Wilkinson and Pickett argue dv is the result of?
Stress by family members caused by social inequality.
Stress reduces their chances of maintaining stable, caring relationships
Worries about money may turn into temper
Lack of money and time restricts social circle in which you can get support
How is the materialist explanation criticised?
Does not explain why women are the victims
