Topic 1 - The domestic division of labour

Question 1

Parsons: Instrumental and expressive roles.

Answer 1

Traditional nuclear family - roles of husbands and wives are segregated. Parson says there is no clear division of labour between spouses:

Husband has an instrumental role: geared towards achieving success at work - breadwinner.
Wife has an expressive role: geared towards primary socialisation of the children - housemaker and full time housewife.

Parsons says the division of labour is based on biological differences as women are ‘naturally’ suited to the nurturing role and men are the provider.

Question 2

Joint and segregated conjugal roles: (Elizabeth Bott and Young and Willmott)

Answer 2

Elizabeth Bott distinguishes between two types of conjugal roles, within marriage:

Segregated conjugal roles: couple have separate roles with the male being the breadwinner and the female being the housewife.

Joint conjugal roles: Where the couple share tasks such as housework and childcare and spend their leisure time together.

Question 3

The symmetrical family (Young and Willmott)

Answer 3

Young and Willmott take a ‘march of progress view’ of history of the family.
They see family life as gradually improving for all its members, becoming more equal and democratic.
Argue there has been a long term trend away from segregated roles and towards joint conjugal roles - ‘symmetrical family’.

• Women now go out for work - part time
• Men help out more with housework and childcare.
• couples now spend their leisure time together instead of separately.

Question 4

Symmetrical family - part 2

Answer 4

Young and Willmott found that the symmetrical family was more common among younger couples.

They see the rise of symmetrical nuclear family as a result of major social changes.

1 - Changes in women’s positions such as going out for work.
2- Geographical mobility such as couples living away from the communities they grew up in.
3- New technology
4 - Higher standards of living.

Question 5

A Feminists view on housework (Oakley and Mary Boulton)

Answer 5

Feminist sociologists reject the march of progress view.

• They argue little has changed and men and women remain unequal within the family.
• They see this as an inequality as stemming from the fact that the family and society are male dominated or patriarchal.

Ann Oakley - criticises young and Willmott’s view that family is now symmetrical - claims its exaggerated.
Oakley found that some husbands are helping in the home but no evidence in a trend towards symmetry.
Only 15% of Husbands had a high level of participation in housework and only 25% had a high level of participation in childcare.

Mary Boulton- found that fewer than 20% of husbands had a major role in childcare.
- argues young and Willmott exaggerate men’s contribution by looking at the tasks in childcare rather than responsibilities.