Triple Shift, Symmetrical Families (5) Flashcards
What is the triple shift
Women play a very important role within the family and the society. They are the pillar of the house and they play a crucial role in sustaining the family. They have to take charge of the order, the matter and the health of all the family. Thus, Women are associated with the triple roles of reproductive, productive and community. In the same context, Dunscombe and Marsden (1995) parted that women in paid employment bear the burden of working a ‘triple shift’. In addition to their paid employment, they are engaged in domestic and ’emotion work’ and mother in a male dominated society.
Even though they go out to work in order to contribute to the family budget, they still have to take care of the household which, most of time are inequitably shared, and take care of the house duties.
What do Delphy and Leonard believe relating to the triple shift
Writing from a feminist perspective Delphy and Leonard emphasise the importance of work. In their view it is men, rather than capitalists as such, who are the prime beneficiaries of the exploitation of women’s labour.
What is a symmetrical family
The symmetrical family is where a family divides all responsibilities equally between partners. This was created and theorised by Willmott and Young (1970) as one of the phases the modern family has shifted into.
Young and Willmotts book in the 1970s suggested that this shift was profound within the working class
What are characteristic of the symmetrical family
- Modern Nuclear Family has less gendered segregation (clear division between male and female roles), both men and women are in employment and contributing to domestic chores.
- Family now unit of consumption.
- Families are smaller so they don’t rely on financial stability and aid
- Families become isolated from Kinship. Eg; blood related
- They spend more time together and generally there are joint conjugal roles and segregated conjugal roles.
