Readons For The Emergence Of The Symmetrical Family Flashcards
Segregated conjugal roles
- partners have clearly separated roles
- partners are likely to have separate friends and leisure activities. One partner is more dominant when it comes to decision making
- men take the responsibility to bringing in money, decision making and doing the heavier and more technical household chores such as DIY. Women are mainly housewives
Joint (integrated) conjugal roles
- both partners are in paid employment, household chores are shared with men taking in the tasks traditionally seen as women’s responsibility such as washing up
- partners have interchangeable and flexible roles
- partners share common friends, leisure interests and decision making
Invention of reliable contraception
Improvements in medical technology gave women the power over their bodies-they could limit the number of children they had thus having the freedom to obtain employment
Influence of the feminist movement
This movement changed women’s position in society, gave them aspirations to pursue education and work, rather than just marriage and children
Development of home based entertainment
The invention and wide availability of radio and TV since the 1950s moved leisure pursuits from the pub to the home. Families chose to stay in and watch TV. As men spent more time at home, they became more involved in household tasks
Decline of the extended family
As younger couples moved away from their extended kin in search of employment, they lost touch and turned to each other for companionship
Increased geographical and social mobility
Women could no longer rely on their female kin for support and companionship so turned to their husbands
Increasing employment opportunities for women
Financial independence gave women greater equality with me. In decision making within the family. At the same time, the importance of women’s earnings for the family’s survival encouraged men to do more housework
