Families Topic 6 - Couples Flashcards
What does the domestic division of labour refer to?
The roles that men and women play in relation to housework, childcare, and paid work.
According to Parsons (1955), should husbands and wives’ roles be equal?
No, Parsons believes there should be a clear division of labour.
What is the instrumental role in the domestic division of labour?
The husband’s role geared toward achieving success at work, acting as the breadwinner and provider.
What is the expressive role in the domestic division of labour?
The wife’s role as the homemaker, responsible for meeting the family’s emotional needs and primary socialisation of children.
What do feminists think about Parsons’ view on the division of labour?
Feminists reject the notion that the division of labour is natural; they argue it is socially constructed and benefits men.
What are segregated conjugal roles?
Roles where the couple have separate roles; a male breadwinner and a female homemaker, with separate leisure activities.
What are joint conjugal roles?
Roles where the couple share tasks such as housework and childcare and spend leisure time together.
What did Young & Wilmott find in their 1950s study of traditional working-class families?
Most households had segregated roles.
What is the ‘march of progress’ according to Young & Wilmott?
A long-term trend away from segregated roles to joint conjugal roles, leading to the development of a symmetrical family.
What are some social changes that have resulted in the symmetrical nuclear family?
- Changes in the position of women
- Geographic mobility
- New technology
- Higher standards of living
What do feminists argue against the concept of the ‘march of progress’?
They argue that little has changed and women still do most of the housework.
What did Oakley (1974) criticize about Young & Wilmott’s view?
She argued their claims of symmetry were exaggerated and provided evidence of low male participation in housework and childcare.
What are the two explanations for the unequal division of labour according to Crompton & Lyonette (2008)?
- Cultural explanation
- Material explanation
What does the cultural explanation suggest about the division of labour?
It is determined by patriarchal norms and values that shape gender roles.
What evidence supports the cultural explanation?
- Gershuny (1994) found couples with parents who shared domestic tasks were more likely to share housework.
- Man Yee Kan (2001) found younger men do more domestic work.
- Dunne (1999) found lesbian couples had more symmetrical relationships.
What does the material explanation state about the division of labour?
If women join the labour force and earn as much as their partners, then men and women should do more equal amounts of domestic work.
What did Kan find regarding women’s earnings and housework?
For every £10,000 a year a woman earns, she does two hours less housework per week.
What are the two main types of control over family income identified by Pahl & Vogler (1993)?
- The allowance system
- Pooling
What is the allowance system?
Where men give their wives an allowance to budget for the family’s needs.
What is pooling in terms of family income?
Where both partners have access to income and joint responsibility for expenditure.
What did Edgell (1980) identify as the types of decisions made in households?
- Very important decisions (usually taken by the husband)
- Important decisions (usually taken jointly)
- Less important decisions (usually made by the wife)
What is the personal life perspective on money?
It focuses on the meanings couples give to who controls money.
What does the Home Office define domestic violence as?
Any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, or threatening behaviour, violence, or abuse between intimate partners or family members.
What is a common misconception about domestic violence?
That it is the behaviour of a few disturbed individuals.
What evidence challenges the view that domestic violence is caused by disturbed individuals?
The Crime Survey (2013) found 2 million reported victims of domestic abuse.
What are the two types of explanations for domestic violence according to sociologists?
- The Radical Feminist Explanation
- The Materialist Explanation
What do radical feminists believe about domestic violence?
It is evidence of patriarchy and an inevitable feature of a patriarchal society.
What does the Materialist Explanation focus on regarding domestic violence?
Economic and material factors such as inequalities in income and housing.
What did Ansley (1972) describe women as in relation to domestic violence?
The ‘takers of shit’, suggesting domestic violence is a product of capitalism.
