Domestic division of labour: lesson 19

Question 1

What did Oakley examine?

Answer 1

The role of the family focusing on the conventional family e.g ‘ cereal packet family ‘ and how this effects society

Question 2

Who does Oakleys beliefs criticise and why?

Answer 2

Young and Willmot as they said families are becoming more symmetrical whereas Oakley disagrees.

Question 3

Why does Oakley believe families aren’t symmetrical?

Answer 3

Because of the dual burden

Question 4

What is the dual burden?

Answer 4

When someone is responsible for two jobs usually applied to women who work and take on domestic work

Question 5

What did Young & Willmott find in their research?

Answer 5

That men help their wives once a week.

Question 6

What did Oakley find in her research?

Answer 6

She found that men were helping in domestic tasks but there was no sign of symmetry

Question 7

What was the data Oakley found?

Answer 7

• 15% of husbands have high level of participation in housework
• 25% have high level of participation in childcare

Question 8

What data did Boulton find?

Answer 8

• fewer than 20% of men had high level participation in childcare
• her findings support Oakleys saying men’s participation is exaggerated

Question 9

What do Ward and Hetherington argue?

Answer 9

• wives were 30% more likely to be the last ones to have done the dishes
• men were 40% more likely to be the last person to wash the car
• men are more likely to do domestic duties when their wife isn’t around to do them
• young men are more likely to share domestic roles