The Domestic Division of Labour

Question 1

What is meant by the domestic division of labour?

Answer 1

The roles that men and women play in housework, childcare and paid work. Sociologists are interested in whether men and women share these tasks equally.

Question 2

What does Parsons argue that the division of labour is?

Answer 2

Parsons argues that in the nuclear family, there’s a clear division of labour between spouses:
- The husband has an instrumental role: achieves at work so he can provide for the family financially (breadwinner)
- The wife has an expressive role: ensuring primary socialisation of the children and meeting the family’s emotional needs. She’s the homemaker.

Question 3

What does Parsons argue that the division of labour is based on?

Answer 3

Biological differences, with women ‘naturally’ suited to the nurturing role and men of the provider. He claims that this division of labour is beneficial to both men and women.

Question 4

What are criticisms of Parsons view on the division of labour?

Answer 4

• Young and Willmott argue that men are now talking greater share of domestic tasks and more wives are becoming wage earners
• Feminists reject his view that the division is natural and they argue it only benefits men.

Question 5

What does Bott argue on the division of labour?

Answer 5

Bott distinguishes between 2 types of conjugal roles
- Segregated conjugal roles: the couple have separate role; a male breadwinner and a female homemaker. Their leisure actives are also separate
- Joint conjugal roles: where the couple share tasks like housework, and childcare and spend their leisure time together

Question 6

Describe a study that supports the segregated conjugal role

Answer 6

• Young and Willmott studied traditional WC extended families in East London in the 1950s
• They found that men were the breadwinners, played little part in home life and spent most of their leisure time with workmates. Women were full-time housewives who were responsible for housework and children, helped by their female relatives. Their leisure time was also spent with female kin.

Question 7

Describe Young and Willmott’s view on the division of labour

Answer 7

• They take a ‘march of progress’ view so see family life as gradually improviing and there’s a trend towards a ‘symmetrical family’ (where roles of spouses are more similar)
• e.g. Women now go out to work, although this may be part-time. Men now help with housework and childcare. Couples now spend their leisure time together

Question 8

Describe a study that supports the Young and Willmott’s view on the symmetrical family

Answer 8

• In their study of families in London, Young and Willmott found the symmetrical family was more common among younger couples, those who are geographically and socially isolated and the more affluent.
• And they found that most husbands they interviewed ‘helped’ their a wives at least once a week.

Question 9

What are the major social changes that Young and Willmott argue to have caused a rise in the symmetrical family?

Answer 9

• Changes in women’s position (married women going to work)
• Geographical mobility (more couples living away from the communities in which they grew up in)
• New technology and labour-saving devices
• Higher standards of living

Question 10

Outline the feminist view of housework

Answer 10

• Reject the ‘march of progress’ view and argue little has changed as men and women remain unequal in the family and women do most of the housework
• They see inequality as stemming from the fact the family and society are patriarchal

Question 11

Describe Oakley’s study that supports the feminist view of housework

Answer 11

• She found that only 15% of husbands had a high level of participation in housework and only 25% had a high level of participation in childcare
• Husbands are more likely to take part in childcare as it’s a more pleasurable aspect, than housework. And as most couples defined a father’s role as ‘taking an interest’ it meant a ‘good’ father played with the children in the evenings.
• However this meant mother’s lost the rewards of childcare and were left with housework

Question 12

Describe a study that supported Oakley’s findings

Answer 12

• Boulton found that fewer than 20% of husbands had a major role in childcare
• She argues Young and Willmott exaggerate men’s contribution by looking at the tasks that involved childcare rather than responsibilities. As a father may help with task, but the mother is always responsible for the child’s well-being