Judith Oakley On The Family

Question 1

What are the 2 main points Oakley made ?

Answer 1

1. Male was the primary wage earner and female was the primary care giver
2. Social pressures to conform repressed womens career ambitions

Question 2

What are oakleys views on the changes to conventional family ? (2 points )

Answer 2

1. The rise of cohabitation and other alternatives began in the 1980s
2. Womens involvement in paid employment saw delay of marriage and childbirth

Question 3

What is the importance of oakleys research ? (3 points )

Answer 3

1. Highlighted changing patterns in family life and noted the movement away from traditional ideas of gender roles in the family
2. Gave a voice to women and examined the way in which social control impacts their experiences
3. Examines the reasons for changing social attitudes and challenged long - held assumptions about family life

Question 4

Evaluations of Oakley

Answer 4

Chester argued that the functions of the conventional family have changed , but the structure remained intact but the neoconventional family was still the most typical family