Couples

Question 1

What is parsons instrumental role

Answer 1

The husband has an instrumental role in the functionalist model of the family
Geared towards achieving success at work so he can provide for the family
He is the breadwinner

Question 2

Who has an expressive role

Answer 2

The wife has an expressive role
Geared towards primary socialisation of the children and meeting the families emotional needs
She is the homemaker

Question 3

Parsons argument about divisions of labour being biological differences

Answer 3

Women are naturally suited to the nurturing role

Men are suited to the provider

This benefits both men and women to their children and wider society

Question 4

Criticisms of parsons division of labour

Answer 4

Micheal young and Peter willmott argue men are taking a greater share of domestic tasks and more wives are becoming wage earners

Feminists reject the view that the division of labour is natural and argue it only benefits men

Question 5

Elizabeth bott segregated conjugal roles

Answer 5

Where the couple have separate roles

A male breadwinner and a female homemaker

Their leisure activities are also seperate

Question 6

Joint conjugal roles

Answer 6

Couples share tasks such as housework and childcare and spend leisure time together

Question 7

The symmetrical family young and willmott

Answer 7

Take a march of progress view and see the family as gradually improving for all members, become,img more equal and democratic

Question 8

Examples of the symmetrical family

Answer 8

Although the roles of husbands and wives are not identical they are much more similar

• women now go out to work, part time rather than full time
• men now help with housework and childcare
• couples now spend their leisure time together instead of severally with workmates or female relatives

Question 9

Young and willmott study of families in London findings

Answer 9

Symmetrical families are more common among younger couples who are geographically and socially isolated and more affluent

Question 10

Social changes that have caused a rise if the symmetrical nuclear family

Answer 10

• changes in womens position
• geographical mobility
• new technology
• higher standards of living

Question 11

Feminist view of housework

Answer 11

They reject the march of progress view and argue very little has changed

Women still do most of the housework

Inequality stems from the fact that the family and society are male dominated or patriarchal

Question 12

Anne Oakley findings

Answer 12

Only 15% of husbands had a high level of participation in housework

Only 25% of husbands had a high level of participations in childcare

Husbands were more likely to share childcare than in housework but only it’s more pleasurable aspects

Question 13

Mary boulton later research supporting Oakley

Answer 13

Fewer than 20% of husbands had a major role in childcare

Young and willmott exaggerate mens contribution by looking at the tasks involved in childcare rather than responsibilities

A father may help with tasks but it was almost always the mother who was responsible for the child’s security and well being

Question 14

What is the impact of paid work

Answer 14

The impact of paid work - most of the women in Oakley study in 1970s were full time housewives but today many more wives go out to work

Is this leading to a more equal division of domestic tasks, with a new man taking responsibility and doing an equal share of the housework and childcare - march of progress view

Or does this mean women now have to carry a dual burden of paid work as well as domestic work- feminist view

Question 15

Taking responsibility for children

Answer 15

Boultons view supported by these studies:

Ferri and smith- fathers took responsibility for children in fewer than 4% of families

Dex and ward - 78% pfnfarhers played with their three year old children, only 1% took main responsibility when caring for a sick child

Question 16

Émotion work and the triple shift

Answer 16

Women are often required to perform emotion work - responsible for for managing the emotions and feelings of family members such as jealousies, squabbles, ensuring everyone is happy

At the same time exercising and controlling their own emotions

Duncombe and marsden argue women have to perform a triple shift of housework, paid work and emotion work

Question 17

Explaining the gender divisions of labour

Answer 17

The cultural or ideological explanation of inequality - division of labour is determined by patriarchal norms, women perform more domestic labour because that is what society expects them to do and has socialised them to do

The material or economic explanation of inequality - women generally earn less than men means it’s economically rational for women to do more of the housework and childcare

Question 18

The allowance system - feminists pahl and vogker

Answer 18

Men give their wives an allowance out of which they have to budget to meet the family’s needs , the man retains any surplus income for himself

Question 19

Pooling - feminists pahl and vogler

Answer 19

Both partners have access to income and joint responsibility for expenditure, eg a joint bank account

Question 20

How is domestic violence far too widespread

Answer 20

According to womens aid federation, domestic violence account for between a sixth and a quarter of all recorded violent crime

The crime survey for England and Wales found that two million people reported having been victims of domestic abuse during the previous year

Question 21

How does domestic violence not occur randomly

Answer 21

It follows social patterns that have social causes, one pattern is that it is mainly violence by men against women

Coleman found women were more likely to have experienced intimate violence across all types of four abuse - partner abuse, family abuse, sexual assault, and stalking

Question 22

Define the term beanpole family

Answer 22

Long and thin extended family

- extended vertically (grandparents, parents and children)