domestic division of labour Flashcards
types of conjugal roles within marriage (Bott)
segregated conjugal roles - husband and wife have distinct and separate roles and leisure time e.g. wife does the housework while husband does paid work
joint conjugal roles - husband and wife share housework and leisure time
domestic division of labour - functionalist view
the husband and wife’s role in the family is determined by biology and beneficial to both partners
the husband plays the instrumental role by working to provide for the family while the wife plays the expressive role by maintaining emotional stability within the family
domestic division of labour - ao3 of functionalist view
lacks contemporary relevance - willmott and young argue men take on more domestic tasks and women are more involved in paid work
feminists argue the domestic division of labour is a social construct to reinforce patriarchy
for the symmetrical debate - willmott and young
there has been a march of progress leading to a shift from segregated conjugal roles to joint conjugal roles within the family e.g. men used to spend leisure time at the pub with friends but now spend it with their wives
younger couples are more symmetrical due to modern developments e.g. new technology like washing machines and air fryers make housework less labour intensive, geographical mobility means nuclear families have to rely on themselves to work and do household chores
against the symmetrical debate - oakley (ao3 for willmott and young)
found issues with willmott and young’s definition of a symmetrical family - they counted the man making breakfast once a week or taking the kids to the park as proof that the family is symmetrical
found only 15% of men had a high participation in housework and 25% in childcare
the father took part in the more pleasurable aspects of childcare leaving the mother to do housework in her spare time
for the symmetrical family - sullivan
found a increase in an equal division of labour among couples and men doing ‘women’s tasks’ e.g. cooking, cleaning
in 1975 82% of husbands worked full time with their wife unemployed, which decreased to 73% in 1997, showing a shift towards equality within the family
against the symmetrical family - duncombe and morsden, hoshschild (ao3 for sullivan)
women still perform the triple shift by completing paid work, housework and emotional labour
women are often expected to satisfy the family’s emotional needs such as cheering up the children when they hurt themselves or have had a fall out
for the symmetrical family - british social attitudes
found changes in attitudes towards a man’s job to earn money and a women’s job to look after the home
only 1% thought men should do the laundry in 1994, compared 6% in 2012, similarly 48% agreed women should take care of sick family members in 1994 which decreased to 36% in 2012
against the symmetrical family - southerton (ao3 for british social attitudes)
modern society life has become ‘de-routinised’ meaning we don’t do the same thing everyday, typically men get extended periods of uninterrupted leisure time whereas women may need to juggle childcare and other tasks
this suggests women carry a dual burden where they complete both paid work and childcare
the british social attitudes findings are too marginal to suggest any change, as women are still more likely to take care of sick family members and do the laundry
for the symmetrical family - future foundations
found 60% of men claimed to do more housework than their fathers and 75% claimed to do less housework than their mothers
against the symmetrical family - dex and ward (ao3 for future foundations)
women are still always responsible for their child’s security and wellbeing - although 78% of fathers play with their kids, only 1% took the responsibility of a sick child
this leaves women with the less enjoyable childcare tasks, supporting the idea that women are pushed into the expressive role
explanations for the gendered division of labour - cultural explanation
the division of labour is determined by patriarchal norms and values - women do the housework more often because they are expected to
evidence for the cultural explanation - gerschuny
couples who saw their parents have an equal relationship are more likely to have one themselves, meaning social values are gradually adapting to women working full time and men doing housework
known as ‘lagged adaption’
evidence for the cultural explanation - british attitudes survey
less than 10% of those under 35 agreed with a traditional division of labour compared to 30% of those over 65
this shows a march of progress among the younger generation, meaning they are more likely to be symmetrical
evidence of the cultural explanation - dunne
lesbian couples are more symmetrical than heterosexual couples - heterosexual couples are dictated to follow gender scripts by upholding the instrumental/expressive role whereas lesbian couples are not linked to gender scripts allowing them to be equal
explaining the gendered division of labour - material explanation
as women generally earn less, it is economically rational for women to do more housework and childcare compared to men who work to provide for the family
evidence of the material explanation - man ye kan
for every £10000 a woman earns, she does 2 hours less housework
more pay -> more responsibility = more hours at work, less hours at home
evidence of the material explanation - arber and gin
equality depends on the social class position of women
middle class women have the money to afford full day childcare while they worked and to also buy time saving devices e.g. robot cleaners
working class women cannot afford these so are stuck doing low paid part time work and having childcare responsibilities
evidence of the material explanation - silver and schor
housework has been commercialised - goods and services women once needed to produce on their own are now mass produced for supermarkets to sell e.g. ready meals, washing machines
this reduces the burden of domestic tasks as women can afford these services
resources and decision making - kempson’s view
family members do not share resources equally e.g. women often go without in working class families by taking a smaller portion of food, skipping meals and not going out
women had no entitlement to a share of household resources e.g. house may be in husband’s name
money management is equal - pahl and vogler
identified two types of control over family income
allowance system - men would give their wife an allowance to meet the family’s needs while he kept the rest
pooling - both partners have access to a shared income and joint responsibility for spending
pooling is now the most common money management system, showing money management is becoming more equal in the family
money management is not equal - barrett and mcintosh
men gain more from women’s domestic work than they get back in finances e.g. they always have clean clothes and fresh food
financial support may come with strings attached e.g. women are expected to uphold the role of housewife or risk losing money
men still make important family decisions on spending e.g. buying a new house, where to go on holiday
decision making is equal - gershuny
by 1995, 70% of couples said they had equal say in decisions
women who also worked in high paid, high qualified jobs were more likely to have an equal say - since they earn money they can decide what to spend it on, making middle class families more symmetrical
decision making is not equal - pahl and vogler
when pooled income is controlled by the husband, he usually makes the major financial decision, suggesting the control of pooled money is more significant than just pooling the money
decision making is not equal - hardill
important decisions were usually taken by the man alone, where his career took priority when deciding whether to move for a job
decision making is not equal - edgell
found there was a hierarchy of decision making within the family
men had the final say in decisions such as moving house
both men and women had the final say in decisions regarding children’s education or holidays
women had the final say in home decor and what to eat for dinner
sociological perspective on money - personal life perspective
focus on the meaning couples give to money, suggesting the meaning of money is not fixed and varies for every couple
sociological perspective on money - smart
gay men and lesbians attached no importance to who controlled the money and didn’t see the control of money as an indicator of equality or inequality
same sex couples have greater freedom to negotiate roles, showing they are not bound by ‘heterosexual baggage of cultural meanings around money’
sociological perspective of money - weeks et al
gay couples used a co-independence system of money management - some pooling for household spending but had separate accounts for personal spending leaving some independence
this shows it is crucial to focus on the personal meanings of the actors involved in a situation
domestic violence - definition
violent or coercive behaviour within the home, typically involving the violent abuse of a spouse or partner
trends in domestic violence
domestic violence counts for 16% - 25% of all reported violent crimes
2.1 million people were victims of domestic abuse in 2023
most often committed by men against women - women are more likely to experience stalking, partner abuse, family abuse and sexual assault
two women a week are killed by a partner or spouse, and violent incidents often occurred when a woman challenged a man’s authority
problems with official statistics on domestic violence - often not reported
women on average suffer 35 assaults before making a report, could be due to shame, fear of repercussions, blackmail
victims are less likely to report as they believe the abuse is too trivial
problems with official statistics on domestic violence - often not recorded
police and prosecutors are reluctant to investigate domestic violence as they are not prepared to be involved with the family - the state shouldn’t interfere in the private sphere, they see the family as a good thing ignoring the dark side and believe a women is free to leave the assault at any time
only 6.5% of incidents reported led to a conviction
patterns in domestic violence - gender
women are more likely to experience intimate violence across stalking, sexual assault, partner and family abuse
patterns in domestic violence - class
working class people are more likely to be victims of domestic violence - arguments about money worries can cause more conflict
women on low incomes are disproportionally represented among sexual violence survivors - instrumental/expressive split as women are expected to take on men’s emotions
patterns in domestic violence - age
children are most likely to be victims of domestic violence - in 90% of cases children were in the same room or next to the room where the violence took place
in 50% of cases children were directly abused - estimated that one child is killed every week by a parent or carer
explanations for domestic violence - marxist feminism
domestic violence is a by-product of capitalism - men come home after being exploited at work by the bourgeoisie and take their frustrations out on their wives - women are the ‘takers of sh!t’
explanations for domestic violence - ao3 for marxist feminism
fails to explain why not all men who work commit acts of violence
explanations for domestic violence - materialist explanations (wilkinson and pickett)
domestic violence is a by-product of the stress caused by social inequality
worries about money and jobs can lead to domestic conflict, and lack of money and time restricts people’s social circles and reduces social support as they cannot see friends or afford therapy
this suggests those with less power, status and wealth are at greater risk of domestic violence
explanations for domestic violence - ao3 for materialist explanations
doesn’t explain why women are at a greater risk of domestic violence
explanations for domestic violence - radical feminism
domestic violence is a by-product of the patriarchy
men are assumed to have a right to discipline their wives if they fail to fulfil their role of housewife to his satisfaction
when women are assaulted by their partners, they fear reporting the assault as they may lose their financial support, so report and conviction rates are low
explanations for domestic violence - ao3 for radical feminism
doesn’t explain accounts of women committing violence, especially against children and male partners e.g. lucy letby killed babies who were in her care, vanessa george sexually abused children in the nursery she worked at
most men are opposed to domestic violence
