Couples - domestic division of labour Flashcards
Is domestic division of labour is more equal: the march of progress view
- Gershuny, argues women who work full time did less domestic task and that this leads to a more equal division of labour.
- Sullivans data shows how women are doing a smaller share of domestic work and men do more ‘traditionally women tasks”. Her analysis also shows an increase symmetrical couples.
Is domestic division of labour is more equal: more on the feminist view
- Taking resposbility for children:
Boulton (sociologist) and studies that support his view - taking resposibility for quality time:
Southerton (sociologist) - who talks about the triple shift?
- boulton says although father may help with certain childcare tasks, its usually mother in charge of childs health and wellbeing. Studies that support his views:
1) Ferri and smith found that fathers took responsibility in childcare for less then 4% of families.
2) although fathers would play with child in figures its 78% of fathers Dex and Ward show that only 1% were there to care for sick child.
3) Braun et al found only 3/70 families had dad as main carer. - southerton shows that organising leisure time is usually left to the mum. Due to flexible working hours needed in this modern society, it ends up with mums being pressured to meet up to all tasks. He also notes that although men and women mostly get equal leisure, men get uninterrupted whereas womens leisure time interrupted with childcare.
- Duncombe and marsden talk about the triple shift on how on top of women doing domestic labour and paid work, they also to emotional work for family members
FUNCTIONALIST
Parsons: instrumental and expressive roles?
Why does he believe they have these roles?
-he says that the husband has instrumental role: where he provides financial stability within his family by succeeding in the workforce outside
-women have the expressive role: where she provides primary socialisation of child, meets families emotional needs, home make full time housewife and not a wage earner.
- he believes they are biologically different to eachother and naturally suited for these roles and claims its positive to hubby, wife, kids and society.
FUNCTIONALIST
Two types of conjugal roles identified by who?
Patterns of segregated roles found by young and willmott
- Bott, identifies two conjugal roles
-segregated conjugal : where couples do have seperate roles
-joint conjugal: where couples share tasks and spend lesiure together
-young and willmott show how men were usually the breadwinners and played little play in the homelife and spent leisure with work mates. Women were usually housewife and spent limited leisure time with female kin.
FUNCTIONALIST
Critisms of parsons view:
- Young and willmott argue how men take on more domestic tasks and more women are wage earners.
- feminists reject view that its biological differences that suit these roles and argue that it doesnt benefit everyone and only benefit the men.
FUNCTIONALIST
Who says what about symettrical family?
Examples:
Who were symmetrical families more common amongst and why
Young and willmott take a march of progress view. They see family as gradually improving. They see families going towards symettrical families although not fully identical it is for most parts.
- women go out to work although its part time
- men help with domestic tasks more now
- couples spend leisure together.
More common amongst younger couples bcos:
- changes in womens position: married women go out to work, more rights etc
- geographic mobility
- new tech: labour saving devices to help around with domestic task
- higher living standards:e.g bcos of women working with 2nd wage into the house meaning couple can afford labour saving devices which encourage men to do more.
In summary, they see a new man figure who takes resposibility and does domestic task which = domestic labour equal
What are the two explantions for gender division of labour:
- solution
- evidence
However..
1) cultural/ideological explanation: divisiion of labour is influenced by patriarchal norms and values. Women for domestic labour simply cos soicety expects it.
- solution : only if gender norm roles change we have equality
- evidence:
-Gershuny: found couples who has equal parents were also likely to share domestic tasks equally to themselves
-Man ye kan: found younger men doing more domestic work and suggest socialisation and norms are changing.
-Dunne: found lesbian couples have that symmetry in their relationship as they dont have gender roles of heterosexual norms.
2) material explanation: division is caused bcos women generally earn less then men so its economically rationale for them to do more house/child work so men earn the money.
Solution: women join and earn the same in labour force, then there will be that equal domestic division of labour
Evidence:
-For every extra 10k a women earns every year she will do 2 hours less domestic work a week.
-Arbin and Gin found better paid M/C women are able to afford labour saving devices which lessens domestic tasks for themselves e.g childcare, ready meals etc
-Ramos found when women is full time breadwinner and man is unemployed, the domestic work is equal.
-working full tiime > part time bcos it makes a big difference in amount of domestic task each partner does.
- however women still earn less in 7/8 households. This is part bcos of childcare and housework.
Feminist view of housework:
Feminist reject march of progress and argue women still end up with most of the housework. They criticise young and willmott for over exaggerating the symetrical family and believe its not as symmetrical as they put it . E.g interviews show that men may only help once a week for breakfast for child.
Is domestic division of labour is more equal: feminist view
What does british social attitude survey show?
- Feminists argue that women going into paid work hasnt lead to greater equality and infact they have now got a ‘dual burden’ where they do paid labour + domestic.
- the british social attitude survey shows:
1) how much men do - in 2012 men on an average did 8 hours of housework on average but women did 13. Men spent 10 hours on family care, women spent 23 hours.
2) who does which tasks - survey shows that couples still had traditional gender tasks such as women for childcare and cleaning and men for repair around the house.
