couples Flashcards
segregated conjugal roles definition
couple has different roles - one responsible for income other may care for family - couple has own friend
joint conjugal roles definition
couple shares house and family responsibility and spend most leisure time together
what led to segregated conjugal roles (parsons)
industrialisation due to men going out to work in factories and women being banished from dangerous work to care for children who were also unfit to work
what does a family need in order to be functional
needs to provide its members with instrumental and expressive needs
why were men the only choice for the instrumental role
they brought in the money and provided basic provisions
evaluation of Parsons view on couples
-study was conducted on white american m/c families so not generalizable
-Laslett disagrees that the extended family structure was dominant before industrialisation as records show nuclear family was most common due to low life expectancy
-Anderson states that the extended family continued to be dominant after industrialisation as family members would stick together to survive poverty etc
Young and Wilmott symmetrical family definition
men and women having the same work and house jobs
arguments for the family becoming more symmetrical
liberal feminists - family has and although inequality still exists they celebrate the progress that has been made e.g equal pay
- Gershuny - March of Progress say family has become increasingly equal due to full-time female employment and even though women still dominate domestic labour men can do DIY
-Silver and Schor (housework become comercialised + increase female income)
arguments against family becoming more symmetrical
Oakley 1 criticised their methodology (saying does your husband ‘help’ implieng the man can provide assistance if needed) 2 saying they help once a week isnt equality women are in full-time employment and responsible for domestic labour (dual burden)
- Duncome and Marsden say women are responsible in ensuring each member is emotionally stable - found women were holding their relationship together
