family topic 3 Flashcards
functionalist and new right theory on gender roles
what do functionalist and new right think of the roles in the family ? ( 4)
one sociologist
1) domestic division labour = refers to roles that women and men perform in the home.
2) in traditional nuclear families, these roles are segregated conjugal roles- the couples have separate responsibilities.
3) parson argues that husbands role is instrumental role - he is breadwinner and is working to financially support the family. women have expressive role she is the housewife and has nurturing and caring role.
- he also argues division of labour is due to biological differences between men and women and women are more suited biologically to caring role.
4) thus, segregating division of labour benefits everyone in society.
Functionalist and new right theory 3
1) Who is a sociologist for symmetrical families? + what do they say
3) What happens in symmetrical family?
4) Factors leading to the symmetrical family? (3)
Wilmott and young=
since 1960 there has been a trend from segregated to joint conjugal roles where women and men share all responsibilities equally. they call this symmetrical family.
in symmetrical family both husband and wife
1. work
2. share housework
3. spend their leisure time together.
reasons for symmetrical family
1. increased geographical mobility = move away from their kin to find employment
- increased career opportunities= because they work now this encourages men to do housework As well.
Feminist theory 1
1) who do they not agree with and why?
2) what did feminist sociologist find in their research? (2)
1) Do not agree with Willmott and young because women and men are not equal in family because they have a subordinate position in family and society.
2) 1) Domestic labour is done by women
2) Women don’t enjoy housework
feminist theory 2
feminist sociologist
- what does Boulton say
- what does Ferri, and smith say
- what does Duncombe, and Marsden say?
- what does hoschild say?
criticism
- what does Ramos say?
1) Boulton = Wilmott and young exaggerate men’s contribution. men will carry out some tasks but it still the responsibility of women. 20 % of men took a major role in childcare.
- regardless of whether a man helps out family is not symmetrical.
2) ferry and smith = women work and still do housework this is referred to dual burden. family is Patriarchal as men benefit from women earnings and their domestic labour. men that take responsibility for childcare is less than 4%
3) Duncombe and Marsden add women do triple shift = employment, domestic labour and emotion work
4) horshchild adds on to emotional work as she says they are required to do emotional work such as resolving arguments and making sure everyone is happy.
5) Ramos criticises and says unemployed men with working wives do the same amount of domestic labour as their partner
Decision making and power relations in the family 1
1) Why do men tend to dominate decision making?
2) how is power in family measured? (2)
1) -Earn more
- Feel their masculinity is threatened if they don’t make decisions
- tradition for men to make decisions in family
2) -Who makes the most decisions
-Who controls the money
Decision making and power relations in the family 2
what did these sociologists find about decision making and power relations in family
-Pahl and Vogler:
-Kempson
-Edgell
1) Pahl and Vogler: interviewed 1211 dual earner couples about how income is controlled in family and found 2 things
- Housekeeping allowance system=husband gives wife money for housekeeping expenses and controls the rest
-Pooling system= both partners earn the income and have access to it.
2) Kempson:
- Low-income family women deny their own needs e.g not going out, skipping meals and eating smaller portions of food in order to make ends meet
- Women do not have the right to share household resources. As result they feel any money spent on them should be spent on the children
3) Edgell: Interviewed professional couples and found:
- moving house and finance = men
- Important decisions = children’s education = joint
- Less important decisions= home decor = women
Partner who makes the most decisions isn’t necessarily the most powerful, but it depends on how important the decision is.
The dark side of family 1
1) what is radical explanation for domestic abuse? (4)
- who are they sociologist?
2) what is criticism?
- who is sociologist?
Millet and firestone =society is patriarchal
-Family is the key institution through which men exploit and oppress women
-Domestic abuse happens to preserve male power over women
-Men control all aspects of society which is why police are reluctant to get involved in incidents of domestic abuse
criticism:
Robbert Elliot says
Not all men are violent towards women
Women can also be abusers
Dark side of family 2
1) who does dobbash and dobbash support?
2) what interview did they carry out?
3) what did they find?
1) Supports radical feminist theory on domestic abuse
2) Carried out interviews in women in refugees
3)
- Women are attacked twice a week in their own home
-Violence can be as a result of sexual jealousy, money and partner expectations
-Marriage legitimates violence against women by conferring power on husbands
dark side of family 3
1) what 2 things did official crime statics find ?
1) Tends to be unrecorded - victims do not go to the police as the police do not deal with it as they see family as a private and state should not interfere
3) Family is seen as good institution so dark side is ignored
dark side of family 4
1) what is materialistic explanation for domestic about domestic abuse?
- who is sociologist?
- what criticism?
Wilkinson and Pickett = domestic abuse as result of stress cause by social inequality
-family have fewer resources such as income than others
- As result = live in overcrowded houses which can cause tension and causes abuse
criticism = fail to explain why women tend to be victims
