Couples & Conjugal Roles

Question 1

Richard Breen & Lynn Prince Cooke

Answer 1

Identifed 3 types of men and 3 types of women in modern couples.
This study acts as evidence of progression, even if it is slight.

Question 2

Richard Breen & Lynn Prince Cooke

3 types of women

Answer 2

Traditional: Gender ideology, complete majority of domestic tasks.
Transitional: Majority of women, work full time when single but stay at home when married. As children get older they return to work.
Autonomous: Have a career or access to other means of support, minimising dependence on partners.

Question 3

Richard Breen & Lynn Prince Cooke

3 types of men

Answer 3

Hardliners: Strong views on gender. Would rather divorce than take on ‘women’s role’. They are the breadwinner.
Adjusters: Prefer not to partake in domestic work but will if needs must.
Cooperators: Small proportion of men. Willing to participate in fully unpaid domestic work.

Question 4

Meisenbach (findings)

how does having a female as a bread winner impact the family?

Answer 4

CONTROL: greater control in relationship. More likely to challenge gender stereotypes. Many still conformed to gender stereotypes.
INDEPENDENCE: ppts viewed themselves as independent. Wanted to survive without relying on partner.
STRESS: Breadwinner role was stressful. Limiting job choices.
VALUING THE PARTNER: Contribution of partner was valued as essential part of the experience.
GUILT: 60% felt guilty as the breadwinner. ‘less of a mother & woman’
AMBITION: Personal & career ambition was expressed as part of identity. Perceived themselves as more ambitious than their partners.

Question 5

Meisenbach

method

Answer 5

Interviewed hetero-sexual women who were in long-term relationships and earnt 55-89% of the household income

Question 6

4 theorists arguing YES - conjugal roles are now more equally divided

Answer 6

Young and Wilmott
Gershuny
Silver
Liberal Feminists

Question 7

Young and Wilmott

Answer 7

‘March of progress’ approach.
Family life is improving for its members Making a move towards the symmetrical family - roles are equally divided between members.
Women go to work
Men help in the home
Couples can spend more time together
This was most common amongst young affluent families. (more likely to be middle class)

Question 8

Gershuny (4 findings)

Answer 8

Women working full time is leading to a more equal division of labour in the home.
Wives not working did 84% of the housework.
Wives working did 73% of the housework. The longer the wife was working the more housework the husband did.
Couples’ parents’ roles in the home were similar. to their childrens’. Shows socialisation into roles.

Question 9

Evaluation of Gershuny

Answer 9

Outdated (1994)

Question 10

Silver

Answer 10

Economic developments reduce burden of housework on women:
Housework has become ‘commercialised’ - introduction of material goods aiding housework, appliances like hoovers, washings machines, microwaves.
Women working means that they can afford to buy these goods and services.

Question 11

Liberal Feminists

with 3 examples of social policy

Answer 11

Women have made significant progress concerning equality in the family unit.
Equal Pay Act 1970
Maternity & Paternity Division Act: maternity/paternity pay can now be equally shared.
Child Tax Credits: Pay for childcare enabling both parents to work.

Question 12

4 theorists arguing for NO - conjugal roles are not equally divided

Answer 12

Oakley:
Ferri
Mcmahon
Functionalists

Question 13

Oakley

Answer 13

Criticised Young and Wilmott.
74% of men only CLAIMED to help with the housework.
In her study she found that in a sample of 40 women with at least 1 child under 5 women still did virtually all the housework.
Women are excluded from the workforce and confined to the home.
The housewife role is socially constructed. Not ‘natural’.

Question 14

Evaluation of Oakley

Answer 14

Outdated (1974)

Question 15

McMahon

Answer 15

Men offer help but women still take most responsibility.

Men only do ‘glory tasks’ whereas women do the urgent duties - cooking. cleaning.

Question 16

Ferri

Answer 16

(1996) not much had changed since Oakley’s study. Women now return to work but they have a dual burden. They do a majority of domestic duties after work, receiving no significant support from partners.

Question 17

Functionalists

Answer 17

Clear division of labour that is biologically determined - instrumental and expressive roles. - New Right tend to agree with this.

Question 18

Duncombe and Marsden

Answer 18

Emotion work

Interviewed 40 couples, women stated men kept emotional distance as they saw their role as the breadwinner.

Question 19

Charles and Kerr

Answer 19

Emotion work
Women put their needs behind their partners’ and childrens. i.e. family’s tastes before their own for family meals, despite them preparing it.

Question 20

Pahl (Money and Marriage):

2 findings

Answer 20

Identified various means of money management in 100 couples.
No matter which system was used, men tended to be the ones with power over finances.
Men were more commonly the bread winners.

Question 21

Edgell

Decision making

Answer 21

Interviewed middle class couples about who made decisions. 
Men made the most significant choices i.e. cars, houses, jobs.

Question 22

Evaluating Edgell

Answer 22

this is only representative of middle class couples
could also be outdated (1980)

Question 23

4 statistics on domestic violence

Answer 23

Estimated as the most common type of violence in the UK (atleast a ¼ )
99% of all incidents are committed by men against women.
¼ women will be assaulted by a partner.
⅛ women will be repeatedly assaulted by a partner.

Question 24

Stanko (domestic violence)

Answer 24

Domestic violence reported every minute in the UK (NOT INCLUDING THE DARK FIGURE OF CRIME)

Question 25

Dobash and Dobash (domestic violence)

Answer 25

most common cause of domestic violence was male partners feeling their authority had been challenged.

Question 26

Wilkinson (domestic violence)

Answer 26

Domestic violence is the result of stress caused by social inequality.
This puts poor men as the most likely to commit domestic violence.