Topic 1- Couples Flashcards
what 2 roles did parsons recognise in couples?
- instrumental role
- expressive role
explain the instrumental role in the couple
- husband’s role
- geared towards success at work
- providing for the family
- breadwinner
explain the expressive role in the couple
- wife’s role
- focus on primary socialisation of children
- meeting families emotional needs
- homemaker/housewife
what does Parsons say the division of labour is based on?
- biological differences
- women are more naturally suited to nurture
which sociologists criticise parsons’ view?
2 sociologists, 1 group
- michael young and peter willmott 1962
- feminists
what do michael young and peter 1962 willmott say about parsons’ view on division of labour
- men are now taking a greater share of domestic tasks
- wives are becoming wage earners
what do feminists say about parsons’ view on division of labour
- reject the division of labour is natural
- only benefits men
what 2 conjugal roles does Elizabeth Bott 1957 recognise?
- segregated conjugal roles
- joint conjugal roles
who idetified conjugal roles in 1957?
Elizabeth bott
what is a segregated conjugal role?
- couple have separate roles
- leisure activities tend to be separate
what is a joint conjugal role?
- couple shares domestic tasks
- spend leisure time together
what view do young and willmott have on families?
‘march of progress’
what is a march of progress view?
- family life is gradually improving for all its members
- it is becoming more equal
- there is a long term trend away from segregated conjugal roles
what is a symmetrical family?
- the roles of husbands and wives are more equal and similar
what 4 social changes have helped symmetrical families rise?
- changes in women’s position
- geographical mobility
- new technology
- higher living standards
what group reject march of progress view?
feminists
what does ann oakley 1974 argue about young and willmott’s view on the symmetrical family?
- their claims are exaggerated
- they said most husbands helped their wives at least once a week
- does not state how many times or what they are doing
- could only be one occasion
what is the march of progress view of about the division of labour?
- women going out to work is creating a more equal division of labour
- men are becoming more involved in childcare and housework and women is becoming more involved in paid work
what does Gershuny say about division of labour?
- women working full time is leading to a more equal division of labour
- using time studies he found that these women did less housework thsn other women
what are 3 2012 statistics about the division of labour?
- men did 8 hours of housework women did 13
- men did 10 hours on care for family and men 23
- 60% of women felt the division of labour was unjust
what is the triple shift and what sociologists refer to it?
- duncombe and marsden
- the act of taking care of family members is called emotion work
- with this in mind, women have to perform a triple shift which is emotion work, housework and paid work
what are the two explanations for the unequal division of labour?
- the cultural or idological explanation of inequality
- the material or economic explanation of inequality
what is the cultural or idological explanation of inequality in the gender divison of labour?
- equality will only change when the gender norms change including men and women’s attitudes, values and expectations and socialisation
- man yee kan found that younger men do more housework, they claimed to do more than their dads showing a generational shift in behaviour
what is the material or economic explanation of inequality in the gender division of labour?
- if women joined paid workforce and earn as much as their partners then we should expect men and women to do equal amounts of housework
- ramos found when the woman is the full time breadwinner and the man is unemployed he does as much housework as the woman
what is the statistic about gender and earners in households?
- in 7/8 households, men earn more than women
what 3 things does barrett and mcintosh say about control of income and decisions in households
- men gain more from women’s domestic work than they give back financially
- the financial support that husbands provide is often unpredictable and comes with strings attached
- men make decisions about spending on important items
who identified 2 main types of control over family income?
- pahl
- vogler
what are the 2 main types of control over family income and explain them
- allowance system- men gives their wives an allowance and the man has any surplus
- pooling- both partners have access to a joint account with joint responsibility e.g. joint bank account
how can pooling be seen as negative?
- if the pool is controlled by the man, it tends to give them more power in decision making of major finances
what is edgell’s explanation why men make decisions
men earn more so women rely on them therefore men have to make the important financial decision because it is majority their money
what is an evaluation of edgell’s explanation on men making decisions
gershuny found tha tby 1995, 70% of couples said they had equal say in decisions but women who were high earners were more likely to be equal decision makers
what is the feminist explanation of inequality in decision making?
- we live in a patriarchal society so males being decision makers is ingrained in society through gender role socialisation
what is the home office definition of domestic violence and abuse?
‘any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive or threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over, who are or have been intimate partners or family members regardless of gender or sexuality.’
what are 2 main points sociologists make about domestic violence?
- domestic violence is far too widespread- it cannot be a few sick individuals making it happen
- domestic violence does not occur randomly- it follows social patterns and the main one is men against women
how much of recorded crime does domestic violence account for?
1/6 and 1/4 of all recorded violent crime
what did dobash and dobash find when researching domestic violence?
- They cite examples of wives being slapped, pushed about, beaten, raped or killed by their husbands.
- Violent incidents could be set off by what a husband saw as a challenge to his authority.
- Marriage legitimates violence against women by conferring power and authority on husbands and dependency on wives.
what are 3 statistics showing patterns in domestic violence?
- 99% of all incidences against women are committed by men
- Nearly one in 4 women have been assaulted by a partner at some time in their life, and one in 8 repeatedly
- The British Crime Survey for England & Wales (2013) found that two million people reported being victims of domestic abuse in the previous year.
what are the 2 explanations of domestic violence?
- the radical feminist explanation
- the materialist explanation
what is the radical feminist explanation of domestic violence?
- Millett and Firestone argue that all societies have been founded on patriarchy. The key division in society is between men and women. Men are the enemy and will always continue to exploit women.
- Radical Feminists see the family and marriage as the key institutions in patriarchal society and the main source of women’s oppression. Men dominate through domestic violence or the threat of it.
- Widespread domestic violence is therefore inevitable feature of patriarchal society and serves to preserve the power that all men have over all women.
- Also, male domination of the state institutions helps to explain why the reluctance of the police and courts to deal effectively with cases of domestic violence.
what is the evaluation of the radical feminist explanation of domestic abuse?
- Elliot rejects the radical Feminist claim that all men benefit from violence against women. Not all men are aggressive and most are opposed to domestic violence. This is ignored!
- They also fail to explain female violence, including child abuse by women and violence against male partners.
- The Office for National Statistics suggests some women from some social groups face a greater risk of domestic violence: including young women, those with a long term illness or disability, those living in shared and rented accommodation.
- Men who suffer domestic violence are also likely to belong to these groups!
what is the materialist explanation of domestic abuse?
- Wilkinson and Pickett see domestic violence as the result of stress on family members caused by social inequality (low incomes/overcrowded accommodation).
- This can lead to worries about money and friction in the family.
- Thus some people are at higher risk of facing domestic violence than others.
what is the evaluation of tge materialist explanation of domestic abuse?
- they do not explain why women rather than men are the main victims.
- Marxist Feminist, Fran Ansley argues wives are ‘the takers of shit’. She argues domestic violence is the product of capitalism: male workers are exploited at work and they take out their frustration on their wives. This may be why domestic violence tends to be male violence against females.
