Topic 1 - Couples Flashcards
what is the domestic division of labour
roles that men and women play in relation to the housework, childcare and paid work.
what sociologist holds about the instrumental and expressive roles in the family?
Parsons
outline the expressive role
the wife has the expressive role , she meets the families emotional needs.She is the HOMEMAKER , a full time housewife
outline the instrumental role
the husband has the instrumental role - he provides for the family financially.He is the BREADWINNER
what type of sociologist is Parsons?
Functionalist
what does Parsons argue?
That this division of labour is based on biological differences, women suited to be nurturing and men are the providers
what are the segregated and joint conjugal roles
segregated role
the male is the breadwinner, their leisure activities tend to be separate
Joint conjugal roles
the couples share household tasks and spend their leisure together
Young and Wilmott
life is gradually improving for all its members , becoming more equal
men now help with housework
couples spend their leisure time together
what is the feminist view on housework?
they argue that men and women ae unequal in the family, females still do most of the housework
Society is male dominated and patriarchal
does Oakley criticise Young and Wilmotts findings?
YES
oakleys case study
only 15% of husbands had a high level of participation in housework
The impact of paid work
many women go to work- full time or part time.This leads to a more domestic sharing of tasks
State one statistic for taking responsibility of children
ferri and smith-fathers took responsibility for childcare in less than 4% of families
def emotion work
Women are required to perform emotion work , responsible to acquire to the families emotions
eg: making sure that everyone is happy
outline the reasons for the gender division of labour
cultural explanation: division of labour is determined by the patriarchal norms of society, they perform it because society expects them to do so.
material explanation: women earn less, its rational for women to do the housework and childcare while men earn money
gershuny
couples whose parents had a more equal relationship are more likely to share housework
Barrett and Mcintosh
men gain from womens domestic work and give back in financial support
men usually make decisions on spending on important items
volger
two main types of control over family income:
the allowance system: men give their wives money , they have to budget
Pooling: both partners have access to money eg : share a joint bank account
who argues that women’s lives are structured around husbands careers?
finch
statistics for domestic violence
Women’s aid federation : domestic violence accounts to up to 1/6 and 1/4 of all recorded violent crime.
Coleman
women are more likely to experience domestic violence such as stalking
Yearnshire
women suffer around 35 assaults before making a report
cheal
~ the family is a private sphere
he argues that agencies are not prepared to be involved in family life
Explanations for D.V
Radical feminist explanation ~ emphasises patriarchal ideas , cultural values
Materialist explanation
emphasises economic factors eg : lack of resources
state a sociologist that supports the radical feminist explanation
Millett and firestone : societies have been founded on patriarchy
MEN ARE THE OPRESSORS AND EXPLOITERS OF WOMEN
Office for National Statistics
social groups that are likely to suffer from domestic violence :
~young women
~people that come from a low social class
~those with high levels of alcohol consumption or using illegal drugs
material explaination for domestic violence
focuses on the material and economic factors in income and housing , explaining why some people are at high risk
Wilkinson and pickett
explains why social inequality produces stress and triggers conflict
Marxist feminists- inequality causing domestic violence
Ansley- women are takers of shit, domestic violence is a product of capitalism
radical explaination on dv
see the family and marriage as the key institutions in patriarchal society
dv is a feature of patriarchal society, this explains why dv is mostly committed by men
outline the people that are at a greater risk for experiencing domestic violence
young women, those in lower classes/ lower groups ,drug users, low income or financial difficulties
how can men and womens roles be seen as equal
symmetrical family
men help with housework and childcare
couples spend leisure time together
what are the major social roles that have taken place in the past century?
changes in women’s position- married women going out to work
higher standards of living
the march of progress view
men are becoming more involved in housework , just as women are becoming more involved in paid work
ferri and smith
fathers took responsibility for childcare in fewer than 4 % of families
British social attitudes survey
found that the number of people who think its a mans job to be a breadwinner and a womans job to be a housemaker has fallen
barett and mcintosh
men gain more from womens domestic work than they give back in financial support
men usually make decisions on spending on important items
kempson ( low income families)
in low income families, women abandonded their needs such as skipping meals to make ends meet
decision making in households- money management
allowance system
pooling
allowance system- men give their wives an allowence which they budget on
pooling- both partners have access to income eg: a joint bank account
decision making
volger- When there was pooling, men made the major financial decisions
Edgell
found that men make the important decisions because they earn more than their wives , the wives are therefore dependant on them.
personal life perspective on money
they focus on the meanings that couples give to control the money
smart- some gay couples attached no meaning to who controlled the money, they did not see it as inequality
