Family - Couples - 2.2 Flashcards
Conjugal Roles (Key Studies)
> Parsons (Functionalism & Conjugal Roles)
> Bott (Segregated Roles & Joint Conjugal Roles)
Parsons (Functionalism & Conjugal Roles)
> Men and women have different roles based on biological differences e.g instrumental/ expressive - clear division of labour
> Sexes are naturally suited to these roles, it is the best way of organising family life, functional & beneficial (New Right agrees)
A03 Functionalist - Conjugal Roles (Key Study)
> Young & Wilmott
> Feminism
Young & Wilmott (A03 Functionalist - Conjugal Roles)
Men & women now have equal roles
Feminism (A03 Functionalist - Conjugal Roles)
Segregated conjugal roles are not natural/ biologically based
Bott’s two conjugal roles
> Segregated Conjugal Roles: Functionalist View
> Joint Conjugal Roles: Share roles & leisure time
Has the division of labour become more equal? (Key Studies)
> Oakley (Exaggeration of Men’s Contribution)
> British Social Attitudes Survey (Inequality in Domestic Work)
> Bell (Unemployed Men)
> Dunscombe & Marsden (Dual Burden)
Young & Wilmott (Symmetrical Families)
> Less patriarchy, greater equality, democratic, flexible roles
> Women work full time, men help with housework/childcare, spend leisure time together
Factors Leading to symmetrical families
> Improved Living Standards
Commercialisation of domestic labour
Economically active women
Factors Leading to symmetrical families
- Less pressure to conform to traditional roles, men encouraged to view women as equals
Improved Living Standards - Factors Leading to symmetrical families
> We have modern technology (automatic washing machines etc) so chores easier to do/no burden, availability only to middle classes
Commercialisation of domestic labour - Factors leading to symmetrical families
> Increase in the domestic labour industry (cleaners, ironing services etc), increase in families hiring maids.
Economically Active Women- Factors Leading to symmetrical families
> Women are at work, so men help around the house so chores are done.
Sullivan (March Of Progress View)
> Women do less domestic work, men do more traditionally ‘female’ tasks & couples have a more equal division of labour
Inequality in the domestic division of labour (Key studies)
> Oakley (Rejection of March of progress view)
> British Social Attitudes Survey (Inequality in domestic work)
> Dunscombe & Marsden (Triple Shift)
Oakley (Rejection of march of progress view)
> Families are still patriarchal & do women do more housework, now have triple shift so situation has got worse for women
> Men’s contributions are exaggerated, they do help but only ironing a shirt once a week
British Social Attitudes Survey (Inequality in domestic work)
> Women do twice as much work & couples still divide tasks with the traditional domestic division of labour.
Morley & Bell (Unemployed M, Views of Home)
> Even unemployed men resist doing domestic work
> Women saw home as place of work, men as a place of leisure
Dunscombe & Marsden (Triple Shift)
> No longer Dual Burden, but Triple Shift (Housework, paid work, emotion work)
Childcare & Quality Time (Key Studies)
> Boulton (Wife Responsible for Childcare)
Braun et al (Provider Ideology)
Dex and Ward (Caring for a Sick Child)
Southerton (Quality Time)
Boulton (Wife Responsible for Childcare)
> Women are responsible for childcare, even when men help.
> Less than ⅕ had major role in childcare.
Braun et al, Dex & Ward (Provider Ideology)
> Most men are background fathers, with a provider ideology, role as breadwinner, not primary carer.
> Only 1% of men took responsibility for a sick child.
Southerton (Quality Time)
> Women are responsible for managing family quality time
> In late modernity, 24/7 society & flexible working so people’s time is more fragmented & deroutinised.
> Women do childcare & multitask during leisure time, men have consolidated uninterrupted blocks of leisure time
Reasons for Gender Division of Labour (Key Studies)
> Crompton & Lyonette’s (2 Reasons for Gender Division of Labour)
> Gershuny (Couples Adapting)
> Kan (Impact of Women’s Wage on Dom Labour)
> Radical Feminist (View on Heterosexual Relationships)
> Dunne (Same Sex Couples and Gender Scripts)
> Weeks and Smart (Same Sex Couples and Gender Scripts)
