Topic 1 - Family and Household

Question 1

Define a Nuclear Family?

Answer 1

A nuclear family, elementary family or conjugal family is a family group consisting of two parents (a man and a woman) and their children (one or more)

Question 2

Define a Household?

Answer 2

A household consists of one or more people who live in the same dwelling and share meals

Question 3

What percentage of the UK population have Nuclear Families?

Answer 3

46%

Question 4

What percentage of the UK population have single parent families?

Answer 4

25%

Question 5

What is the percentage rise in one child families? (04’ - 14’)

Answer 5

3% increase

Question 6

What is the reason for the rise of one child families?

Answer 6

1. The expense of having a child 0-18 average (250k)

2. Women now have careers more often, having children later.

Question 7

What did Parson argue with his 1955 study?

Answer 7

That the functionalist model of the family where there is a division of labor.

Question 8

What did Parson believe in his study? (1955)

Answer 8

1. He biologically associates the division of labor between female/male
2. He believed that male role was to make money (Instrumental role)
3. That women look after children, helps primary socialization (expressive role)

Question 9

What could be an issue with Parsons study?

Answer 9

The fact the study could be outdated due to being made in 1955.

Question 10

What did Young and Wilmott (1962) argue?

Answer 10

That things have changed since Parsons.

Feminists reject Parsons view as natural.

Question 11

What did Bott (1957) find in his study?

Answer 11

He noted there are segregated and joint conjugal roles.

Parents instrumental roles of insturmental and expressive.

Question 12

What is an issue with with Bott and Young and Wilmott study?

Answer 12

These studies did not include single parents, and only studied the working class.
Therefore, it may only be relevant to a nuclear, working class family.

Question 13

What later did Young and Wilmott (1973) argue?

Answer 13

That families are becoming more equal and a move to a more symmetrical family where roles are similar to extent.

Question 14

What was an issue with Young and Wilmott (1973) study?

Answer 14

This was mostly young couples where two parents work.

Therefore this may not link to older families/ more traditional ones.

Question 15

What is the Dual Burden?

Answer 15

Women who have to work as emotional support and primary carer.

Question 16

What is the Triple shift?

Answer 16

It is when women have to work as emotional support, primary carer and work on top.

(Becoming more common as women having longer careers in work)

Question 17

What did Oakley (1974) argue?

Answer 17

She was a feminist socialist who disagreed with functionalist view.

She argued that change is exaggerated and found that only 15% men helped in housework and 25% in childcare.

Question 18

What was the issue with Oakley’s (1974) study?

Answer 18

She only looked at full time housewives and it is a relatively old study.

Question 19

What did Boulton (1983) find?

Answer 19

That men contributed to specific tasks in child care, but not main responsibility.

This was a more up to date study that filled in Oakleys gaps.

Question 20

What did Gershuny (1994) find?

Answer 20

Noted that with more women going to work, the labour in home is becoming more equal.

Question 21

What did a 2006 study in domestic duties find?

Answer 21

• Only equal duty was grounds and animal care
• Women prepped food 2x more than men
• 3x more other housework.

Question 22

Who did this 2006 study support?

Answer 22

Oakleys theory

Question 23

What did a 1994-2012 study in household task split find?

Answer 23

• 5% increase in laundry by Men and 2% equally 94-12’.
• 43% 2012 equal food shopping (more equal)
• Supported Oakley and Gershuny.

Question 24

What is the Feminist View of Households?

Answer 24

They believed that women going into paid work has not created equality (led to triple shift).

Question 25

What did Boulton (1993) study find?

Answer 25

That women take care of child’s well being and security.

Fathers only carry out specific tasks.

Question 26

What did Barun, Vincent and Bali (2011) study note?

Answer 26

They noted that fathers see themselves as breadwinners still.

And that childcare responsibility are in relation to relationships.

Question 27

What did Southern (2011) note?

Answer 27

That the 24/7 society which pushed for time, Men + Women equal time.

However, Women are being fragmented by childcare. (Triple Shift).

Question 28

What did Crompton and Lyonette (2008) note?

Answer 28

They found that inequality stems from the patriarchal nature of society. (Socialisation)

Also noted that economically women earn less so its sensible that they would stay home and look after children.

Question 29

What did Gershuny (1994) find?

Answer 29

That the values are changing with women in full time work, breaking down norms and a new norms that men should do more domestic work

Question 30

However what did Dunne (1999) find?

Answer 30

That lesbian couples had more symmetrical relationships and did not follow conventional gender identities.

Question 31

What did Arber and Ginn (1995) find?

Answer 31

They noted that middle-class women with higher wages could pay for labor saving devices etc.

Could be said that M/C women down’t have the same conjunction role pressure as W/C women.

Question 32

What did Sullivan (2000) find?

Answer 32

He noted that full time working for a women makes a big difference in how much domestic work each partner does.

Question 33

Does full time work lead to better equality?

Answer 33

• Maybe for m/c women only
• Feminists believe patriarchy and culture of society
• None of these studies look at single parents (main focus is on Nuclear Families)
• Can depend on culture Western and Non-western

Question 34

What did Barrett and Mackintosh (1991) note?

Answer 34

That in families there is imbalance of power linked to income/how its spent.

Men gain more from domestic work than they give in money and men make decisions based on how to spend the money.

Question 35

What did Kempson (1994) argue?

Answer 35

Argues women will deny their own needs over their children + parties needs.

Question 36

What do Paul and Volger (1993) note?

Answer 36

That there is control issues and some families do pool resources.

They then found (2007) that even with pool, men make the big financial descions.

Question 37

What did Edgells (1980) find?

Answer 37

Study of professional couples, important finical and education based decisions made by men.

Question 38

What did SMART (2007) note?

Answer 38

Found that some gay/lesbian couples attached no importance to who controlled money.

That many rejected the primary socialization systems.

Question 39

How many experienced Domestic Violence (2011/2012)?

Answer 39

1.2 million between 2011/2012

Question 40

What was the probability of men, women and children to experience it?

Answer 40

1 in 4 Women
1 in 7 Men
1 in 5 Children

Question 41

What did Dobash and Dobash (2007) find?

Answer 41

Noted that violence is triggered by issues which husband see as a challenge to them.

It is argued that marriage legitimizes violence against them as a sign of conferring power and authority.

Question 42

What did Walby and Allen (2004) find?

Answer 42

Women are more lightly to be victims of multiple incidents of abuse and sexual violence.

Question 43

What did Yearnshire (1997) say?

Answer 43

Domestic violence is the crime least likely to be reported.

Question 44

What did Cheal (1991) say?

Answer 44

Noted that there is a reluctance for police to become involved in family life.

This could be argued to be outdated due to new schemes and system to report domestic abuse.

Question 45

What is the Radical Feminist view of Domestic Violence?

Answer 45

View the issue as it being embedded value and belief due to being a patriarchal society.

Question 46

What did Firestone (1970) suggest?

Answer 46

That division in society based in patriarchy, see the violence inevitable as men wield power.

Question 47

What did Elliot (1996) argue?

Answer 47

That not all men benefit from violence, not all are aggressive.

Wrong to assume all women are equally at risk.

Question 48

What did ONS (2014) find?

Answer 48

Noted that specific groups are a a higher risk, younger women from lower social classes and incomes are more at risk.

Children from lower social classes are more at risk.