The domestic division of labour Flashcards
DDOL refers to…
housework, childcare, paid work and how they are divided
Elizabeth Bott (1975)- 2 types of conjugal (marital) roles
segregated conjugal roles- clear division of labour
* seperate social networks of friends
* sex segregation in terms of leisure activities
joint conjugal roles- both in couple contribute to domestic labour and both are in paid work
* share social networks
* shared leisure time
are conjugal roles real?
-func view
they should be segregated conjugal roles:
-women: expressive role
-men: instrumental role
why?
they are biologically suited for it and it keeps wider society functional
Parsons- ‘warm bath theory’ and stabaliation of adult personalities
Willmott and Young (1950’s)- MOP study
-found marital roles have changed
-they studied the DDOL in W/C fam in east london and found SCR- CDOL and the man as the sole BW
-found sex segregation and seperate social networks:
men- working mens pubs
women- female kin
-did study again and found DDOL had changes and it became an equal division of labour
leisure time and social networks were the same
W&Y- they are not identical roles, man and women both contributed to housework and domestic labour and are both in some form of paid work- due to the ‘emergence of a new man’
why did the family become symmetrical? what caused the change from SCR to JCR?
1) changing postions of women
As a result of social policies more women entered the work force, these were:
Employment policies) equal pay act, sex discrimination act
Educational policies) GIST and WISE
-this resulted in girls’ educational achievement and outperforming boys
Women entered senior positions in the labour market and this changed DDOL because:
A) Dual earners
B) Women entering senior positions means women are more assertive and expect equality
C) Paid work means less time for housework and meeting demands of paid work, so men must help
D) Women working alongside men changed mens attitudes, people no longer see women as ‘just a housewife’ and this resulted in change in men’s attitudes in the fam so men do work
why did the family become symmetrical? what caused the change from SCR to JCR?
2) commercialisation of housework
You can buy labour saving devices:
-tumble dryer
-washing machine
-babysitter
This means that DL is easier to do so men are more willing to do it
why did the family become symmetrical? what caused the change from SCR to JCR?
3) improved living standards
-From modernity to post-modernity the living standards have improved- the home is nicer and more inviting to spend leisure time in
- so there is no more sex-segregation and couples spend leisure time at home
why did the family become symmetrical? what caused the change from SCR to JCR?
4) geographical mobility
According to Parsons- the change from M to P-M caused the CEF to change to the SIF
- industrial society needed a geographically mobile work force and CEF was too big for this
- fam moved away from extended kin
- women shared housework
- -since women have no other support from other women, it is too much to do for one person so the man must help
AO3- Women’s positions have not changed
- Greer disagrees that it has changed and that it has made conjugal roles more equal- we live in a patriarchal society and despite social policies, there is still not equality due to ‘glass ceiling’ + despite girls outperforming boys in all subjects they still experience a glass ceiling- in 7/8 households women are the lower earner
- commercialisation of housework- just because its easier due to ‘labour saving devices’, women are still more likely to use them and this only applies to middle class families (material deprivation)
3.
AO3 of Willmott and Young
-Oakley (1970) and Boulton (1983)
-Criticise the way W&Y interviewd husbands (72% said they helped their partner atleast once a week)- made up claim that fam is symmetrical, it is not convincing evidence (it could just be doing one task)
Boulton- W&Y studied tasks not responsibilities- men might do tasks but women still have the responsibility to ensure those tasks are done
Oakley and Boulton’s research
They did research and couldnt find the symmetrical fam
Oakley (1970’s)- 15% of husbands have high involvement in housework- 25% in childcare (however these are the pleasurable aspects- while doing this women is doing domestic labour, they lose the reward of pleasurable moment with child
Boulton (1983)- less than 20% of men are involved in childcare
AO3 of Oakley and Boulton
-studies are outdated- women hadn’t entered paid work in the 70’s and 80’s, however now, womens positions have changed
-Oakley had only studied 40 couples which is a small samples and is unrepresentative as it does not represent all couples
sociologists views on the impact of women joining paid work on the DDOL
MOP- Gershuny- more equal (W&Y agree)
RF- this hasnt led to gender equality
March of progress- positive view 
Women entering paid work means the DDOL is more equal
Gershuny- time studies:
-The more hours a women is in paid work, the less hours for DL- women who work full time do less hours in terms of DL- opposite for unemployed women
-this produces a cultural explanation, women entering paid work resulted in “lagged adaption”- slow change in attitudes towards women
Evidence to support:
British social attitudes survey (2013)- fall in number of people who think that it is a man’s responsibility to look after family
Radical feminist
-They strongly criticised the view that with an interim paid work resulted in gender quality
-this is because feminists argue women experience a “dual burden” (paid work AND domestic childcare is work)
