couples

Question 1

THE DOMESTIC DIVISION OF LABOUR

Answer 1

This refers to the way that male & female roles are divided up within the home. This includes: Housework, Childcare, Leisure Time & Paid Employment.

Question 2

Elizabeth Bott (1957)

Answer 2

distinguished between 2 types of conjugal roles.

Question 3

2 types of conjugal roles.

Answer 3

Joint conjugal roles- Couples share tasks such as housework and childcare and spend their leisure time together.
segregated conjugal rules-Couples have completely separate roles. Men are the breadwinners and women are the housewives. Their leisure time also tends to be separate

Question 4

INSTRUMENTAL ROLE (Parsons)

Answer 4

The husband is geared towards success at work and being the ‘breadwinner’.

Question 5

EXPRESSIVE ROLE (Parsons)

Answer 5

The wife is geared towards domestic tasks such as primary socialisation and meeting emotional needs.

Question 6

ANN OAKLEY & INDUSTRIALISATION

Answer 6

Oakley argues that the creation of factories in the 19th century saw paid work and the home become separated.

Women who had once been part of the labour force were now excluded from the workplace and confined to the home. They now had sole responsibility for childcare and men were seen as the breadwinners.

Question 7

WILLMOTT & YOUNG

Answer 7

Willmott & Young studied working-class extended families in Bethnal Green (East London) between the 1950’s and 1970’s. They found a trend away from the segregated conjugal roles

Question 8

1950’s families

Answer 8

The 1950’s family had a clear division of labour.
Men went out to work and spent their leisure time in working men’s clubs with other men. Whilst women stayed at home looking after the children spending their leisure time with other females.

Question 9

1970’s families

Answer 9

the 1970’s they noted a shift towards a more symmetrical family. Women go out to work (all be it part time), men do house work and both spend more leisure time together.

Question 10

In 1973, Young & Willmott…

Answer 10

published their ideas that families are slowly becoming more equal and democratic

Question 11

impact of industrialisation

Answer 11

Geographical Mobility: more couples living away from where they grew up.

New Technologies: ‘Labour saving devices’

Changes in women’s positions: Married women going to work

Higher Standard of Living: With working household income rises, allowing for more labour saving devices and a more attractive home

Question 12

Feminism and housework

Answer 12

Feminists reject the ‘march of progress view’. Instead they argue that women still do most of the housework.

Question 13

Feminism and housework (Oakley)

Answer 13

Ann Oakley (1974) criticises Wilmott and Young’s view of the symmetrical family. Oakley argues that the claims are exaggerated and that women still do the majority of the housework. The ‘help’ men give women is no more than taking the children to the park once a week or occasionally making breakfast.

Question 14

Feminism and housework (Mary Boulton)

Answer 14

Mary Boulton (1983) discovered that fewer than 20% of husbands had a major role in childcare. Boulton also argues that Y&W exaggerate the amount men contribute to childcare. Men may assist in childcare, but ultimately it is the woman who has the overall responsibility for the child’s safety and well being.

Question 15

Feminism and housework (Kevin Hetherington and Alan Warde 1993)

Answer 15

argued that sex typing with domestic chores remains strong. Wives were 30% more likely to do the washing up then men. Men only really did household chores when their partners were not there.

Question 16

GERSHUNY: The trend towards equality

Answer 16

Gershuny (1994) argues that there is a trend towards equality between couples and uses the increase in the paid employment of women as evidence.

Question 17

Gershuny’s evidence

Answer 17

Gershuny found how much housework women do:
Housewives 83%
Wives working P/T 82%
Wives working F/T 73%

Couples who’s parents had a more equal relationship were more likely to share chores.

Question 18

Housework has become commercialised

Answer 18

Goods and services that housewives previously had to produce are now mass-produced and supplied by supermarkets, fast food outlets and so on.

Freezers, microwaves, ‘ready meals’ etc all reduce the amount of domestic labour that needs to be done!

Question 19

Ferri & Smith (1996)

Answer 19

Out of a sample of 1,589 parent couples, less than 4% of fathers took the main responsibility for child care. (approx 64 couples out of the total sample).

Question 20

THE TRIPLE SHIFT: Duncombe & Marsden (1995)

Answer 20

This leads to women having 3 Roles:
1) Employment
2) Domestic Work
3)Emotional Work i.e. THE TRIPLE SHIFT

Question 21

British Social Attitudes Survey (2013)

Answer 21

Men on average did 8 hours of housework a week, compared to 13 hours for women!
Women more likely to do laundry, care for sick family members, whilst men more likely to do small repair jobs around the home.

Question 22

Dex & Ward (2007): RESPONSIBILITY FOR CHILDREN

Answer 22

Although 78% of fathers played with their children, only 1% took the main responsibility when the child was ill.

Question 23

Braun, Vincent & Ball (2011)

Answer 23

Studied 70 families and in only 3 the father was the main carer.

Question 24

LESBIAN COUPLES & GENDER SCRIPTS: Gillian Dunne (1999)

Answer 24

Gillian Dunne (1999) argues that the division of labour continues because of deeply ingrained ‘gender scripts’.
These are expectations or norms that set out the different roles men and women in heterosexual relationships are expected to play.

Question 25

Dunne looked at 37 lesbian couples and found….

Answer 25

They shared housework and childcare equally
View childcare Positively!
Both partners gave equal importance to Caring.

Question 26

Laurie & Gershuny (2000)

Answer 26

By 1995 70% of couples said they had an equal say in decisions. Women who were high earning and highly qualified were more likely to do this!

Question 27

STEPHEN EDGELL (1980)

Answer 27

Men tend to earn more and therefore make the ‘important’ decisions!

Question 28

MICHELLE BARRETT (1991) MARXIST FEMINIST!

Answer 28

Women’s financial support is often unpredictable with ‘strings attached’.
Women’s labour generally outweighs the financial support they receive
Men make the decisions on major household expenditure

Question 29

Graham (1984)

Answer 29

Studied women claiming benefits after divorce and found that ½ the women were actually better off on benefits than when they were married, as they had a reliable source of income.

Question 30

KEMPSON (1994)

Answer 30

Found that in low-income families, it is the women who deny their own needs e.g. skipping meals, seldom going out, eating smaller portions.

Question 31

PAHL & VOGLER (1993) Feminist sociologists!

Answer 31

Argue the reason that men dominate decision making and resources is that they are generally the full-time breadwinners.
They identified 2 types of control over finances:
pooling
allowance system

Question 32

pooling

Answer 32

POOLING: Where both partners have access to income and a joint responsibility for expenditure. EG: A joint bank account.

Question 33

allowance system

Answer 33

ALLOWANCE SYSTEM: Where men give their wives an allowance out of which they have to budget to meet the family’s needs, with the man retaining any surplus income for himself.

Question 34

Nyman 2003 (the meaning of money)

Answer 34

To fully understand money management, we need to understand the meaning of money to couples!
Nyman (2003): Money has no automatic, fixed or natural meaning. It is defined by different couples!

Question 35

Pahl

Answer 35

Pooling does not necessarily lead to equality.

Question 36

Vogler et al

Answer 36

Cohabiting couples were less likely to pool their money but more likely to share domestic tasks!

Question 37

domestic violence definition

Answer 37

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.

Question 38

Domestic Violence takes many forms:

Answer 38

> Physical Violence
Psychological Violence
Sexual Violence
Financial Violence

Question 39

DOBASH & DOBASH (1979)

Answer 39

Using interviews and police records, Dobash & Dobash found that many domestic assaults are set off by what husbands see as a challenge to their authority.

Question 40

DOBASH & DOBASH argue that…

Answer 40

that marriage legitimates violence by creating an unequal relationship whereby women become dependant on their husbands.

Question 41

Walby & Allen (2004)

Answer 41

Women were much more likely to be victims of multiple incidents of abuse and sexual violence.

Question 42

Ansara & Hindin (2011)

Answer 42

Women suffered more psychological effects and more likely to fear their partners.

Question 43

Dar (2013)

Answer 43

Incidents can occur so frequently that it can be difficult to reliably count the instances

Question 44

THE PROBLEMS WITH REPORTING AND RECORDING

Answer 44

REPORTING: Domestic violence is the least reported violent crime. (Yearnshire 1997)
RECORDING: Police and prosecutors are more reluctant to record, investigate and prosecute. Cheal (1991) argues that the state is reluctant to become involved in family matters for 3 reasons:

Question 45

Cheal (1991) argues that the state is reluctant to become involved in family matters for 3 reasons:

Answer 45

-The family sphere private. The state should only have limited access.
-Women are free to leave if they want.
-Family is good. The state tends to ignore the ‘darker side’.

Question 46

Women are free to leave if they want. However…

Answer 46

However, the reason fails to take into account that male violence is often accompanied with economic power. Some women simply can’t afford to leave!

Question 47

THE RADICAL FEMINIST EXPLANATION FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Answer 47

Firestone (1970) & Millett (1970) agree with Dobash & Dobash in that marriage is linked to domestic violence.
Men dominate women in society through domestic violence and the threat of it, which is inevitable in a patriarchal society.

Question 48

THE MATERIALIST EXPLANATION: Wilkinson & Pickett (2010)

Answer 48

Focuses on economic factors: EG housing and income.
Wilkinson & Pickett (2010): Low income or living in overcrowded accommodation=higher stress=higher risk of violence