Division Of Labour (2nd WAVE FEMINISM) Flashcards
What is the main feminist argument about the division of labour in the household?
The feminist argument is that the symmetrical family is exaggerated and has simply reformulated the unequal division of tasks in the household.
What did Ann Oakley (1974) find about husbands’ participation in housework and childcare?
Ann Oakley (1974) found that only 15% of husbands had a high level of participation in housework and only 25% had a high level of participation in childcare.
How did men typically participate in childcare according to Oakley (1974)?
Men tended to participate in the more pleasurable parts of childcare, like doing sporting or cultural activities.
What do Oakley (1974) and other radical feminists argue about the symmetrical family?
They argue that the symmetrical family is overstated and the limited increase in men’s participation in reproductive labour has recreated traditional gender roles.
What did Mary Boulton (1983) find about husbands’ roles in childcare?
Found that fewer than 20% of husbands had a major role in childcare.
How does Boulton (1983) critique Young and Willmott (1973)?
Boulton argues that Young and Willmott exaggerated men’s roles by looking at involvement in specific tasks, while the mother retained overall responsibility for the child’s wellbeing and most tasks.
What is the functionalist perspective on traditional gender roles in the household?
Functionalists, like Parsons (1955), argue that traditional gender roles have a positive role in building social solidarity by linking people together through a shared set of norms in the ‘value consensus’.
How would functionalists critique Oakley (1974) and Boulton (1983)?
Functionalists would critique them for ignoring the positive identification with the roles of wife, mother, and homemaker.
Who argued that traditional gender roles help build social solidarity?
Parsons (1955) and other functionalists argued this.
What percentage of husbands had a high level of participation in housework according to Oakley (1974)?
Only 15% of husbands.
What percentage of husbands had a high level of participation in childcare according to Oakley (1974)?
Only 25% of husbands.
What year did Mary Boulton conduct her study on husbands’ roles in childcare?
1983
What did Young and Willmott (1973) claim that Boulton (1983) argued against?
They claimed that men’s roles in childcare were significant, which Boulton argued was exaggerated.
What is the “symmetrical family” according to feminist critique?
A family structure where both partners supposedly share roles and responsibilities equally, which feminists argue is exaggerated.
