Family&Households: Topic 1- Couples

Question 1

What are the factors of the domestic division of labour?

Answer 1

• Parsons: instrumental and expressive roles
• Joint and segregated conjugal roles
• The symmetrical family
• A feminist view of housework

Question 2

The domestic division of labour: functionalist view

What does Parsons argue about the gender roles in family?

Answer 2

There should be labour of division:
* Instrumental: Men, success at workm financial support
* Expressive: Women, socialise kids, meet famliy emotional needs

Question 3

The domestic division of labour

How does Young and Willmott critice Parsons view on gender roles?

Answer 3

They argue men are taking a share of domestic tasks and women are now earning money by working

Question 4

The domestic division of labour

What does Bott argue about joint/segregated conjugal roles?

Answer 4

Two roles in marriages:
* Seperated conjugal roles: Seperate tasks and leisure time
* Joint conjugal roles: Joint tasks and leisure time

Question 5

The domestic division of labour: MOP view

What does Young and Willmott argue about the symmetrical famliy?

Answer 5

They believe the family is becoming more equal

Question 6

The domestic division of labour: MOP

What factors are causing a rise in symmetrical families? Explain them.

Answer 6

• Changes in womens position: Women are going to work
• Geographical mobility: Families can move to where work is, but more expensive so women work too
• New technology: Labour saving devices men can use
• Higher standards of living: Cost of living has increased

Question 7

The domestic division of labour: feminist

What is Oakleys view of houswork?

Answer 7

She says Young & Willmott are exxagerating as only 15% of husbands do housework and 25% do childcare.

Question 8

The domestic division of labour: Femininst

What is the feminist view of housework?

Answer 8

• Women have a dual burden
• British social attitudes survey found men did 8hrs a week and women did 13hrs in 2012

Question 9

Couples becoming more equal?: MOP

What does Sullivan argue about the view of housework

Answer 9

• Argues theres a new man (do feminine tasks)
• Collected data in 1975, 1987 & 1997 and found trends of women doing less domestic tasks

Question 10

Couples becoming more equal?

What does Dex and Ward argue about taking responsibility for children?

Answer 10

Found only 1% of fathers took care for their sick child but 78% played with their child

Question 11

Couples becoming more equal?

What does Duncombe and Marsden argue about emotional work and triple shift?

Answer 11

Women performs a triple shift:
* Housework
* Paid work
* Emotional work

Question 12

Couples becoming more equal?

What does Southerton argue about taking responsibility for ‘quality time’?

Answer 12

Quality time for responsibility falls on mothers rather than fathers.

Question 13

Couples becoming more equal?

What does Cromption & Lyonette argue about the cultural explanations for gender division of labour?

Answer 13

Women perform more domestic labour because thats what society expects them to do

Question 14

Couples becoming more equal?

What does Crompton & Lyonette argue about the material explanation for gender division of labour?

Answer 14

Women earn less so its rational for them to do more housework.

Question 15

Couples becoming more equal?

What is the evidence Ramos gives to explain material deprivation?

Answer 15

Found that when only the women is working, she still does as much domestic work as men

Question 16

Couples becoming more equal?

What is the evidence Dunne gives to explain cultural deprivation?

Answer 16

Lesbians are more symmetrical due to the absence of heterosexual norms

Question 17

Resource and decision making in households

What does Barrett and McIntosh argue about the control of family income?

Answer 17

• Men make important decisions
• The financial support men give to wives is unpredictable
• Men gain more from women domestically

Question 18

Resource and decision making in households

What does Pahl and Volger argue about money mangagement?

Answer 18

2 main types of control over family income
* Allowance system: Men gives women allowance for the family and keeps the rest for themselves
* Pooling: Both parents have access to income responsiblity

Question 19

Resource and decision making in households

What does Edgells argue about decision making?

Answer 19

• Very important decision: Done by husband
• Important decisions: Joint or by women
• Less important decisions: done by women

Question 20

Resource and decision making in households: decision making

What does Smart argue about the ‘personal life’ perspective on money?

Answer 20

The meanings money has in relationships cannot be taken for granted. E.g. same sex couples have a different meaning of money control. Smart:
* Gay and lesbian people attached no importance of money control and are happy with their partners

Question 21

Domestic violence and abuse

What are the trends for DV on the crime survery for England and Wales?

Answer 21

2.1mill people have reported having been vitims of DV in 2023

Question 22

Domestic violence and abuse

What does Coleman argue about the trends of domestic abuse?

Answer 22

Women are likely to experience intimiate violence compared to men

Question 23

Domestic violence and abuse

What ddoes Yearnshire argue about official statistics underestimating DV?

Answer 23

Women are unwilling to report to police. E.g. women suffer 35 assults before reporting

Question 24

Domestic violence and abuse

What does Cheal argue about why O.S underestimate DV?

Answer 24

Police many not do anything as women are free to leave from abuse but male abuse is coupled with economic power

Question 25

Domestic violence and abuse: Radical feminist

What does Millett and Finestone argue about the explination to DV?

Answer 25

• They see famliy/marriage as the key institution in patriachal society
• DV is inevitable
• Men are the enemy: women are opressed and exploited

Question 26

Domestic violence and abuse

How does Elliot critic the radical feminist explanation?

Answer 26

Not all men are aggressive

Question 27

Domestic violence and abuse

What does Wilkinson and Pichett argue the material explanations for DV are?

Answer 27

• Sees Dv as a result of stress of family caused by society
• W/C have more stress, meaning they’re more at risk

Question 28

Domestic violence and abuse

What are the strenghts and weaknesses of the material explanation of DV?

Answer 28

• Strengths: showshow social inequality can trigger violence
• Weakness: Doesnt explain why women are mainly the victim of DV