Gender Roles In The Family - The Feminist Theory

Question 1

Morns (she)

1990

Answer 1

She opposes
Men who had suffered a loss of their masculine role as a result of becoming unemployed saw domestic work as women’s work and therefore to be avoided.
Her theory is supported by Ramos

Question 2

Ramos (he)

2003

Answer 2

Families in which the man is not in paid work and his partner works full-time, male domestic labour matches that if his partner.
(19 hrs per week) - move towards equality - share housework 50/50

Question 3

Dunne (she)

1999

Answer 3

She oppose
Argues that the division of labour continues because of deeply ingrained ‘gender scripts’.
Norms set out that men and women in a heterosexual relationship are expected to play.
Contrast lesbian couples with heterosexual couples - found symmetry- links to Willmott and Young.
Lesbian couples and heterosexual couples interact in different ways

Question 4

Willmott and Young

1973

Answer 4

Neo-functionalist sociologists
They believed that life was changing for each member of the family, allowing then to be more equal and democratic. They believe it is a long-term trend away from segregated conjugal roles and towards joint conjugal roles and symmetrical family. A symmetrical family is where the roles of the man and woman are much more similar.

Question 5

Oakley (she)

Answer 5

She disagrees with Willmott and Young.
- women and men biologically different
- women always worked
- nothing stopping women from working
- housewife dominate (key term - social constructor)
Society is telling us our roles - pre-modernity women working in factories, farmer, maids (1930s).
1950s - not strong enough to work
Functionalists are wrong - housewife are not biologically women.

Question 6

Boulton (she)

Answer 6

She disagrees with Willmott and Young

• father helps with specific tasks but it’s mostly women
• pick what tasks they want to do
• don’t find responsibility to do household- not their job

Question 7

Warde and Hetherington (they)

Answer 7

They oppose

• ‘sex typing’
• certain chores are women’s work and certain chores are men’s work
• chores for each gender
• gives us our role
• men don’t have responsibility
• Gender roles are not equal - housework is for women

Question 8

Fern and Smith (she)

Answer 8

They oppose

• ‘dual burden’
• gender roles are not equal and have become worse for women
• women have two burdens ( full-time employment and have to do housework and childcare)
• men only work and are in employment
• it has made women’s life’s worse - not equal

Question 9

Duncombe and Marsden (they)

Answer 9

They oppose

• they believe women endure a ‘triple shift’
• things have got even worse for women
• 3 burdens ( paid employment, domestic labour and emotional care)

Question 10

Hochschild (she)

Answer 10

She opposes
- believes women have a 4th burden - invisible work
This is the work that happens in the women’s mind - these are the lists in her head (birthdays, bills to be paid, etc)

Question 11

Southerton (he)

Answer 11

He opposes
Quality time - family time
Need to make sure there’s family time - revolves around woman
Believe it’s women’s responsibility to keep the family together

Question 12

Gatrell (she)

Answer 12

She supports the theory
- fathers more involved with children (upbringing)
- relationship (couple) could break
- men’s view - it’s their excuse not to do housework
- fathers involved with children- they are creating a stronger relationship
- men believe marriage is not the relationship you have forever - they believe to spend time with their children - divorce - marriage can fall apart
- when they were little, their dads never played with them
- they want to be better fathers than their father and become fully involved
Women believe men are only doing this to get out of domestic labour

Question 13

Dex and Ward (2007)

Answer 13

They oppose
Men play with the children but if the child vomits they give it to the women
This relates to Oakley’s theory
They play with the children because they are worried that the wife will nag at them
They don’t want to or have responsibility - but they feel like they have to because of the wife

Question 14

Braun, Vincent and Ball

Answer 14

They oppose
Background fathers
- help with children
- more about the relationship between the man and the wife
Don’t take responsibility - they have to do it for their wife
‘Provider ideology’ - only responsible for being the breadwinner - women get pressure of being a good mother
This pressure is recurve from movies, society, media, celebrities etc

Question 15

Man Yee Kan (she)

Answer 15

They are mutual

(2001) - women still do most of the housework (women=18hrs and men=6hrs)
- higher income - the more power she has in the family (women)
- whether a couple is equal or not depends on age, education, job etc
- be in a relationship where they are equal
- need the same attitudes
- younger educated and professional couples would be more equal
- low income- uneducated - unequal
- there’s hope for change

Question 16

Gershuny (he)

Answer 16

He supports the theory
Housewife =83% - domestic labour- not working and at home
Part time =82% - 24hrs per week
Full time =73% - 48hrs per week
Thinks that they are equal because men do more housework when women works

Question 17

Silver and Schor

Answer 17

They support the theory
Death if housewife role
Commercialisation of housework
(Read cook meals, machines)- don’t need to do it yourself
More women are working - they can afford all these products
No such thing as housework because machines do it. Housework is easier but women are still the Ines who have to do it
Criticism- they ignore the fact that it women who have to do it
Raise efficiency - raise expectations

Question 18

Arber and Gin

Answer 18

They support the middle class
Middle class benefit from commercial products.
Working class can't afford these products.
Trapped in low paid part-time employment and childcare - viscous circle

Question 19

Gregson and Lowe

Answer 19

They support the theory - agree with Silver and Schor

• dual income families - can afford to pay people
• paid other people to do domestic labours

Question 20

Bott

Answer 20

Mutual

• friendship circle determines whether or not he does housework or not.
• narrow friendship circle - spend more time with wife/girlfriend and therefore does more housework
• don’t want to loose face to friends
• depends on mans attitudes

Question 21

New Man

Answer 21

Supports the theory
A man that looks manly and keeps up with their physical appearance but is happy to talk about his emotions and feelings
Share housework and childcare
Are metrosexual

Question 22

Which sociologists are biological?

Answer 22

Murdock
Parsons
Murray
Functionalists

Question 23

Which sociologists are ideological/ cultural?

Answer 23

New man
Bott
Southerton

Question 24

Which sociologists are economic/material?

Answer 24

Gregson and Lowe
Silver and Schor
Arber and Gin