LT2 Roles And Power Realtionships Between Couples - Domestic Division Of Labour

Question 1

What is the definition of domestic division of labour ?

Answer 1

The roles that men and women play in relation to housework, childcare and paid work.

Question 2

(Non-symmetrical family)

What do you functionalist believe about the roles of men and women in the family ?

Answer 2

• Parsons (1955) Believe that segregated conjugal roles are found in traditional nuclear families
• instrumental role/leader (male)
• expressive role/leader (female)

Question 3

What does segregated conjugal roles mean?

Answer 3

Marital roles of husbands and wives are separate and distinct

Question 4

What does nuclear families mean?

Answer 4

Two generational families consisting of Married parents and dependent children

Question 5

What does instrumental role/leader mean?

Answer 5

When men go out to work and act as the financial breadwinner

Question 6

What does expressive role/leader mean?

Answer 6

Where women act as homemakers and carets e.g. offering warmth, security and emotional support

Question 7

What are the reasons for segregated conjugal roles in nuclear families?

Answer 7

Parsons claims women are biologically naturally suited to a nurturing role and men as the provider

Question 8

Why would Parsons views be criticised?

Answer 8

Offers outdate views

Question 9

(Non - symmetrical family)

Who’s views do the feminists reject in terms of family?

Answer 9

The March of progress view
•family relationships are not symmetrical
• unequal
• socially constructed

Question 10

What does Oakley believe about housework and paid work (1974)?

Answer 10

• small % of husbands have a high level of participation
• Men help with pleasurable aspects of childcare
• Ex - women work it is mainly low paid And extension of their ‘housewife role’ e.g. Nursing and childcare

Question 11

What are some of the resent research on the impact of paid work on domestic work?

Answer 11

• more women working the family remains patriarchal women doing more DW then men and conjugal roles divided up on traditional gender lines
• women have dual burden
• triple shift

Question 12

What does Dual burden mean?

Answer 12

This is where women do paid work and unpaid domestic labour such as housework

Question 13

What does triple shift mean?

Answer 13

This is paid work, domestic work and emotional work

Question 14

What are the current reasons for the lack of symmetry & EX evidence for quality on the future ?

Answer 14

Cultural/ideology explanations
•Patriarchy and gender scripts
Material/economic explanations
• women spend less time doing paid work/earn less - economically rationale for them to spend more time on domestic work than men

Question 15

(Symmetrical family)

What does the March of progress view suggest ?

Answer 15

There is a move to equality in domestic division of labour

Question 16

What does symmetrical families mean?

Answer 16

Marital roles of husbands and wives similar, although not identical

Question 17

What is the evidence of equality in the domestic division of labour ?

Answer 17

• Sullivan (2000) increased no. Of couples with joint conjugal Roles
• ‘New men’ participating in more traditional ‘women’ tasks such as housework and childcare
• more women in paid work
• couples spend leisure time together

Question 18

What does joint conjugal roles mean?

Answer 18

Marital roles of husband and wife and shared or similar

Question 19

Reason for the new symmetry in family ?

Answer 19

• increase no. of women working (economic factors)
• commercialisation of housework (economic factor) e.g. Ready meals, microwaves reducing amount of domestic labour
• shifting social attitudes (values) nor acceptable men to do housework