F&H Couples

Question 1

Explain Instrumental and expressive roles

Answer 1

Instrumental = Male role, breadwinner, family provider
Expressive = female role, house wife, families emotional needs

Question 2

Who’s theory is instrumental and expressive roles and explain it

Answer 2

Parsons theory
Division of labour based on biological differences. Beneficial to both men and women, their children and wider society.

Question 3

Criticisms of parsons instrumental and expressive roles

Answer 3

Young and Willmott: Men now taking greater share in domestic tasks - wives also becoming wage earners

Feminists: Reject that the division of labour is natural and it only benefits men

Question 4

Explain Joint and segregated conjugal roles in marriage

Answer 4

segregated: male breadwinner, female homemaker, leisure activities separate
Joint: couples share tasks, housework, leisure time, childcare

Question 5

Explain Young and Willmotts symmetrical family

Answer 5

Men and women’s roles are now much more similar (but not the same) becoming more equal.

Question 6

How are couples becoming more symmetrical?

Answer 6

• women going to work (may be part time than full time)
• men helping with housework and childcare
• couples spending leisure time together

Question 7

What major social changes have taken place during the past century to allow for a more symmetrical nuclear family?

Answer 7

• changes in women’s position
• geographical mobility
• new technology
• higher standards of living

Question 8

Feminist view on housework

Answer 8

still unequal women still do majority
family = male dominated and patriarchal

Question 9

Ann Oakleys criticism on Young and Willmott?

Answer 9

• exaggerated, husbands they interviewed classed ‘helping’ their wives as something like making breakfast on one occasion.

Question 10

Ann Oakleys findings regarding a symmetrical family?

Answer 10

Found no evidence of a more equal division
- 15% men have high level of housework
- 25% high level of childcare
- only the pleasurable aspects they help with

Question 11

What is the march of progress view on the division of labour?

Answer 11

• men becoming more involved in housework
• women becoming more involved in paid work outside the home

Question 12

What is Gershuny’s view on domestic division of labour? (march of progress)

Answer 12

full time working women do less domestic work at home than other women

Question 13

What is Sullivan’s view on domestic division of labour (march of progress)

Answer 13

Men and women are doing housework more equally and men are doing more traditional woman tasks

Question 14

What do feminists say about couples becoming more equal?

Answer 14

Women now face a dual burden from paid work and housework

Question 15

What statistics show the unequal division of labour in the house?

Answer 15

60% of women felt there was an unequal division of labour in the household as they were doing more work (paid work, housework

Question 16

What is the triple shift

Answer 16

housework, paid work, emotion work

Question 17

what is the cultural or ideological explanation for inequality in gender division of labour

Answer 17

women preform more domestic labour because thats what society expects of them and has socialised them to do

Question 18

what is the economic explanation for inequality in gender division of labour

Answer 18

women generally earn less than men so it’s economically rational they do more housework

Question 19

what are the ways of money management pahl and vogler say

Answer 19

Pooling: shared accounts
Allowance system: men give wives a budget for family needs and any left as a surplus income for himself

Question 19

How does decision making go in households?

Answer 19

very important decisions = finance decisions - usually the man or joint with the mans final say

important decisions = childrens education, or holidays - usually jointly rarley the wife alone

less important decisions = house decor, food, childrens clothes - usually made by the wife

Question 19

how have sociologists challenged the view that DV is only because of a few disturbed or sick individuals

Answer 19

• too widespread
• DV doesn’t occur randomly

Question 20

what do Dobash and Dobash say is a cause of DV

Answer 20

Men feeling their authority is being challenged

Question 21

What is the problem with offical statistics regarding DV

Answer 21

• victims unwilling to report= women suffer average of 35 incidents before reporting - seen as too trivial or fear of reprisals

-police may be reluctant to record, prosecute or investigate as they dont want to get involved in the family

Question 22

why dont police want to get involved in DV cases

Answer 22

• family is private sphere
• tend to ignore darker side of family
• women experiencing abuse are ‘free to leave’e

Question 23

why is saying women are 'free to leave' a domestic violence relationship stupid? econmic power?

Answer 23

abused women often financially dependant on their husbands and unable to leave

Question 24

radical feminist and materalistic explanations of DV?

Answer 24

Radical = emphasises patriarchal ideas, values and institutions materalistic = emphasises economic factors i.e. lack of recourses

Question 25

Radical feminist explanation of DV: (firestone)

Answer 25

family and marriage are the main oppressive institutions in society men dominate women through DV or the threat of it used to preserve the power of men over women = why mostly women are victims

Question 26

critisims of rad fems view on DV

Answer 26

- not all men are oppressors - fail to explain child abuse and male violence by women and lesbian relationships - do not explain which women are most at risk of DV

Question 27

whats the materialistic explanation of DV

Answer 27

explains that lower income families are more at risk DV is caused by stress of finances /social inequality

Question 28

why are lower social classes more likely to experience DV?

Answer 28

- Worries about money - lack of money and time reducing social circle

Question 29

what do marxists feminists say about DV (ansley)

Answer 29

women are the takers of shit from a product of capitalism women experience DV from mens stress at work

Question 30

critisims of marx fem on DV

Answer 30

fails to explain whyb not all workers commit DV and female DV