DV and Decision Making - Power

Question 1

Edgell (decision making):

Answer 1

• Important decisions made by men, semi-important joint, women less important decisions.

The decisions are made by who earns the most money: cultural link between money and power. As women have been gaining more financial power as a result of equality, they have been able to have a greater input.

Evaluation = studies highlighted that when women earn more than their husband, they will still let their husband make most of the decisions so that their masculinity is not threatened (so more to do with masculine identity).

Question 2

Pahl and Vogler (control of money):

Answer 2

They argue that couples with traditionally segregated conjugal roles would have an allowance system, where the men allocated the women a set amount of money.

Nowadays, more likely to have a pooling system where there is a joint account but own separate accounts for personal finances. This can be called ‘co-independence’.

Couples are now equal as money = power.

Evaluation = Smart argues that homosexual couples attach no importance to who controls the money as they do not see it as a sign of power. Money is more to do with the stereotypical masculine role of the breadwinner, and the positive masculine identity (high self esteem) that goes with it.

Question 3

Dobash and Dobash (domestic abuse and violence):

Radical Feminists.

Answer 3

• 1/4 women will experience domestic violence, 35 instances before reporting.
• Marriage is used to legitimate domestic violence.
  If women challenge the man’s authority, male violence is triggered and is used to oppress women. Creates an unequal relationship where men see themselves as dominant and women subordinate.

Especially true for WC as poverty causes extra stress.

Inequality tolerated by social institutions, police just see it as a ‘marital problem’.

Evaluation = Female on male violence, 1/6 men will suffer domestic abuse but male victims may be too embarrassed to report it. May be more cases