Couples (only on things not known) Flashcards
The symmetrical family- Wilmott and Young
‘March of progress’ view, the family is gradually improving as husband and wife roles are becoming similar, making the family symmetrical. For example women go out to work, even if it’s part time and men do housework and childcare.
This change is because of a change in women’s position as they take on more paid work outside the home, new technology (washing machine, dishwasher) which saves labour time, commercialisation of labour with more nannies and au pairs doing tasks.
Linking these factors together a woman bringing in a second wage raises the families living standards meaning they can afford labour saving devices, making domestic labour more equal.
Evaluate Wilmott and Young
Feminist Oakley criticises them for over-exaggerating the symmetrical family. Their interviews that found husband helps their wives once a week, could just be making children breakfast, so it’s not as equal as it seems.
Even though men are helping more they tend to cherry pick the fun tasks so women end up doing most the housework which isn’t symmetrical.
Warde and Heatherington- Domestic tasks
Domestic tasks are sex types, husband are 4x more likely to last have washed a care and women are 30x more likely to have done the washing up.
British Social Attitudes Survey- March of progress
There has been a fall in the number of people who believe in instrumental and expressive roles. In 1984, 45% of men and 41% of women agreed with them. In 2012, only 13% of men and 12% of women agreed with them.
Trends and attitudes indicate that women going into paid work has led to a more equal division of labour (Gershuny found women working full time means a symmetrical division of labour).
Southerton- Taking responsibility for quality time
Found that organising family quality time is usually left to be the mothers responsibility. This is very difficult in modern society as working mothers end up juggling the demands of their work, finding their own personal leisure time and organising family quality time. Men are more likely to have blocks of uninterrupted time, whereas women will have theirs interrupted by childcare and having to multi-task.
Boulton- Taking responsibility for children
Fathers may help with childcare tasks, but its the mum who takes responsibility for the children’s security and well-being.
Dex and Ward (2007) to support Boulton
Study found that although 78% of dads were highly involved in their 3 year olds life through activities such as playing, only 1% took care of them when they are sick.
Crompton and Lyonette- material and cultural explanations for division of labour
A cultural explanation for the division of labour means the patriarchal norms and values that shape gender roles in society, women are socialised into doing domestic labour.
A material explanation for the division of labour means women earn less than men so it is economically rational for them to do more housework so the man can earn money.
Evidence against the cultural explanation of division of labour
- Gershuny, women working full time means shared domestic tasks are becoming the norm
- Man ye Khan found younger men do more domestic work, so attitudes and norms are changing
- British Social Attitudes survey 2012 shows there is a fall in the number of people who agree with traditional instrumental and expressive roles.
Evidence against the material explanation of the division of labour
- Arber and Gin found that better paid middle class women are more able to buy commercially produced products like labour saving devices instead of doing housework and childcare themselves.
- Ramos says where the woman is the full time breadwinner and the man is unemployed, the domestic labour is symmetrical
- However, Crompton says in general women still earn less than men, they work part-time because of childcare and gender pay gap, this means there cannot be a prospect of equal division if we are basing it on women’s economic equality.
Effect of Lockdown on division of labour
Lockdown narrowed the gendered division of labour.
A 2020 study from ONS found that before lockdown women did 1 hour 50 mins more housework than men. This reduced to 1 hour 7 mins per day during Lockdown.
However after lockdown in 2022 women did 30 minutes more housework per day than men and an hour more of childcare. Suggests inequality hasn’t left.
Edgell- Decision making
Study of professional couples found that very importance decisions relating to finances are made by husband, important decisions like children education are joint and the less important decisions are made by the wives. Men make important decisions because they earn more, women have less say as they are usually co-dependent on the man.
How dies Hardhill’s 1997 study back up Edgell?
Study of 30 dual-career professional couples found that important decisions are made by the man alone and the man’s career takes priority when moving for work.
Laurie and Gershunny- decision making
By 1995, 70% of couples said they have an equal say in decision making. However, this was more likely with high earning women.
Pahl and Vogler- Money management
Two types of control on family income
1) Allowance system where the husband gives his wife an allowance for family expenses while keeps the rest of the income
2) Pooling where both partners have access to income and both take responsibility for expenditure. However, Paul notes that this doesn’t always mean equality as both partners might not be contributing equally.
