Couples

Question 1

Give two examples of patriarchy in the Victorian family.

Answer 1

• Grounds for divorce were very unequal: a man could gain a divorce on the grounds of his wife’s adultery, but a woman had to prove her husband’s adultery or another matrimonial offense in addition to adultery.
• On marrying, a woman’s property became her husbands.

Question 2

Define the instrumental role.

Answer 2

The husband has an instrumental role, geared towards achieving success at work so that he can provide for the family. He is the breadwinner.

Question 3

Define the expressive role.

Answer 3

The wife has an expressive role, geared towards primary socialisation of the children and meeting the families emotional needs. She is the homemaker, a full-time housewife rather than a wage earner.

Question 4

According to Parsons, what is the difference between the instrumental and expressive role based on?

Answer 4

Biological differences. Women are ‘naturally’ suited to the nurturing role and men to that of the provider.

Question 5

Which other perspective would share Parsons’ view of expressive and instrumental roles?

Answer 5

The New Right.

Question 6

Give two criticisms of Parsons.

Answer 6

• Young and Willmott (1962) argue that men are now taking a greater share of domestic tasks and more wives are becoming wage earners.
• Feminist sociologists reject Parsons’ view that the division of labour is natural. In addition, they argue that it only benefits men.

Question 7

Define a segregated conjugal role.

Answer 7

Where the couple have separate roles: a male breadwinner and a female homemaker/carer, as in Parsons’ instrumental and expressive roles. Their leisure activities also tend to be separate.

Question 8

Define a joint conjugal role.

Answer 8

Where the couple shares tasks such as housework and childcare and spends their leisure time together.

Question 9

According to Young and Willmott, which social class is more likely to have segregated conjugal roles?

Answer 9

Traditional working class extended families.

Question 10

Explain what is meant by the ‘march of progress’ view.

Answer 10

Young and Willmott see family life as improving for all its members, becoming more equal and democratic.

Question 11

Give three characteristics of a symmetrical family.

Answer 11

• Women now go out to work, although this may be part-time rather than full-time.
• Men now help out with housework and childcare.
• Couples now spend their leisure time together instead of separately with workmates or female relatives.

Question 12

According to Young and Willmott, which couples are most likely to be symmetrical?

Answer 12

Younger couples.

Question 13

Identify four social changes that have encouraged the rise of the symmetrical family.

Answer 13

• Changes in women’s position, including married women going out to work.
• Geographical mobility (more couples living away from the communities in which they grew up).
• New technology and labour saving devices.
• Higher standards of living

Question 14

Why do feminists reject the ‘march of progress’ view?

Answer 14

They argue that little has changed: men and women remain unequal within the family and women still do most of the housework. They see this inequality as stemming from the fact that family and society are male-dominated or patriarchal.

Question 15

How does Oakley criticise Young and Willmott?

Answer 15

She argues that their claims are exaggerated.

Social desirability: People may claim to help out more than they do.

Question 16

Briefly outline Oakley’s findings on men’s involvement in housework and childcare.

Answer 16

Only 15% of husbands had a high level of participation in housework, and only 25% had a high level of participation in childcare.

Question 17

What did Boulton find in relation to men’s involvement in childcare?

Answer 17

Fewer than 20% of husbands had a major role in childcare. Men tend to look at tasks, not responsibilities (men take on the ‘less important’ tasks).

Question 18

Give two examples of sex-typing of tasks.

Answer 18

• Wives were 30 times more likely to be the last person to have done the washing.
• Husbands were 4 times more likely to be the last person to wash the car.

Question 19

According to Boulton, women take responsibility for children’s security and well-being. How is this view supported by Ferri and Smith?

Answer 19

Ferri and Smith (1996) found that fathers took responsibility for childcare in fewer than 4% of families.

Question 20

According to Boulton, women take responsibility for children’s security and well-being. How is this view supported by Dex and Ward?

Answer 20

Dex and Ward (2007) found that although fathers had quite high levels of involvement with their three-year-olds (e.g 78% played with their children) when it came to caring for a sick child only 1% of fathers took the main responsibility.

Question 21

According to Boulton, women take responsibility for children’s security and well-being. How is this view supported by Braun, Vincent and Ball?

Answer 21

• Only 3/70 families studied was the father the main carer.
• Most were ‘background fathers’ (helping w/ childcare was more about their relationship with their partner than responsibility towards their children)
• Most fathers: ‘provider ideology’ (breadwinners)
• Mothers: primary carers
• ‘Intensive mothering’ (idea promoted by media)

Question 22

Define ‘emotion work’.

Answer 22

Where someone (usually women) is responsible for managing the emotions and feelings of family members. While at the same time, exercising control over their own emotions.

Question 23

What three activities make up the ‘triple shift’.

Answer 23

• Housework
• Paid work
• Emotion work

Question 24

According to Southerton, why do mothers today face greater difficulties in trying to organise quality time?

Answer 24

“Achieving quality time is becoming more and more difficult as working mothers find themselves increasingly juggling the demands of work and career, personal leisure time and family, while at the same time managing and coordinating their own and their families’ social activities.”

Question 25

How do men’s and women’s leisure time differ?

Answer 25

Men are more likely to have consolidated ‘blocks’ of uninterrupted leisure time, whereas women’s leisure is often punctuated by childcare.

Question 26

Summarise the cultural or ideological explanation for the unequal division of labour.

Answer 26

• Determined by patriarchal norms and values that shape the gender roles in our culture.
• Women perform more domestic labour simply because that is what society expects them to do and has socialised them to do.

Question 27

Summarise the material or economic explanation for the unequal division of labour.

Answer 27

The fact that women generally earn less than men means it is economically rational for women to do more of the housework and childcare while men spend more of their time earning money.

Question 28

What were Dunne’s two findings about lesbian couples?

Answer 28

• Roles are equal or negotiated based on need.

- Both partners jobs are viewed as equally important.

Question 29

How does Dunne explain the difference between lesbian and heterosexual couples?

Answer 29

‘Gender scripts’ are less important in same sex couples.

Question 30

Which perspective would support Dunne’s explanation of couples?

Answer 30

Radical feminism: ‘Political lesbianism’.

Question 31

What three points do Barrett and McIntosh make about family resources?

Answer 31

• Men gain far more from women’s domestic work than they give back in financial support.
• The financial support that husbands give to their wives is often unpredictable and comes with ‘strings’ attached.
• Men usually make the decisions about spending on important items.

Question 32

Define the allowance system.

Answer 32

Where men give their wives an allowance out of which they have to budget to meet the families needs, with the man retaining any surplus income to himself.

Question 33

Define pooling.

Answer 33

Where both partners have access to income and joint responsibility for expenditure; for example, a joint bank account.

Question 34

What are Pahl and Vogler’s two types of control over family income?

Answer 34

• The allowance system

- Pooling

Question 35

Define Edgell’s three types of decisions and who tends to make these.

Answer 35

• Very important decisions: such as those involving finance, a job change or moving house, were either taken by the husband or taken jointly but with the husband having the final say.
• Important decisions: such as those about children’s education or where to go on holiday, were usually taken jointly, and seldom by the wife alone.
• Less important decisions: such as their choice of home decor, children’s clothes or food purchases, were usually made by the wife.

However, Gershuny (2000) - 70% of couples have an equal say.

Income and resources are split more evenly - decisions aren’t.

Question 36

How do feminists explain the differences in decision making?

Answer 36

In patriarchal society, the cultural definition of men as decision makers is deeply ingrained in men and women and instilled through gender role socialisation.

Question 37

Give an example where pooling may not indicate equality.

Answer 37

If a man earns twice as much as his wife, but both put the same amount into the joint account, does this count as inequality?

Question 38

Suggest why having separate money may not necessarily mean inequality in a couple.

Answer 38

Evidence suggests that cohabiting couples are more likely than married couples to share domestic tasks equally.

Question 39

Why may same-sex couples have different arrangements from heterosexual couples in relation to money?

Answer 39

Same sex: Gender scripts are difference, less importance on money.

Cohabiting: Value independence, ‘co-independence’.

Question 40

Define domestic violence.

Answer 40

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 41

Why do sociologists reject the view that domestic violence has psychological rather than social causes?

Answer 41

• Far too widespread to be the work of a few disturbed individuals.
• Doesn’t occur randomly but follows particular social patterns and these patterns have social causes.
• The most striking of these patterns is that it’s mainly violence by man against women.

Question 42

According to Dobash and Dobash, how does marriage legitimate domestic violence?

Answer 42

By conferring power and authority on husbands and dependence on wives. Violent incidents could be set off by what a husband saw as a challenge to his authority, such as his wife asking why he was late home for a meal.

Question 43

What did Walby and Allen find out about domestic violence?

Answer 43

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

Question 44

What did Ansara and Hindin find out about domestic violence?

Answer 44

Women suffered more severe violence and control, with more serious psychological effects. They also found that women were much more likely than men to be fearful of their partners.

Question 45

What did Dar find out about domestic violence?

Answer 45

It can be difficult to count separate domestic violence incidents, because the abuse may be continuous (for example, living under constant threat), or may occur so often that the victim cannot reliably count the incidences.

Question 46

Give the two main reasons why official statistics understate the true extent of domestic violence.

Answer 46

• May not be reported (scared of consequences and downplay).
• Police and prosecutors may be reluctant to record, investigate or prosecute those cases that are reported to them (‘family business’ not ‘police business’).

Question 47

Summarise the radical feminist view of domestic violence.

Answer 47

Power and control: patriarchy

• Within families, men use threats and violence to oppress, dominate and coerce women.
• This explains why domestic violence is mainly by men against women.

Question 48

Summarise the materialist view of domestic violence.

Answer 48

Wilkinson: strain of resources.

• Inequality causes stress (capitalism) which is ‘released indirectly’
• Fewer resources (money)
• Crowded houses (stress)
• Poverty = reduced social support (beat wives).