Topic 6- Couples Flashcards
(14 cards)
What does Parsons believe is the clear division of labour?
Instrumental role- husbands role, breadwinner and provider
Expressive role- Wife’s role, homemaker, primary socialisation of children and housewife
How do feminists reject Parsons view of division of labour.
It is a social construct and only benefits men.
What are the two conjugal roles within a marriage?
Segregated- couple has separate roles, male breadwinner, and a female homemaker.
Joint- couple shares tasks such as housework and childcare.
What is a symmetrical family? (Young and Wilmott)
- Women now go out to work, men help with housework and couples spend leisure time together.
- This can be due to the changes in position of women, new technology and higher standards of living.
How do feminists reject the symmetrical family and march of progress?
They say men and women remain unequal within the family - women still do most of the housework and society remains patriarchal.
What is the impact of paid work according to the march of progress?
- Women going out to work is leading towards a more equal division of labour at home.
- Gershuny found that women who work full time do less domestic work
- The housewife has died as housework has been commercialised- labour saving devices, fast food, cleaners etc.
What is the impact of paid work according to feminists.
- Women have to carry a dual burden because a ‘New man’ has not emerged.
- British Attitudes survey 2013 found that women did twice as much domestic work as men, and women felt this was unjust
What is the cultural explanation of the division of labour between genders?
The view that the division of labour is determined by patriarchal norms and values that shape gender roles. Women perform domestic tasks because that is what society expects. There wont be equality until the gender roles are challenged.
What is the material explanation for the gender division of labour?
If women join the labour force and earn as much as their partners then we should expect to see men and women doing more amounts of domestic work.
- Kan found that of every £10,000 a year a woman earns she does 2 hours less housework per week.
How does Crompton evaluate material explanation?
Women still earn less than men in 7 out of 8 households, so there is no immediate prospect of a more equal division of labour.
What are the two types of control in the family over income?
- Allowance- women give their wives an allowance out of which they budget to meet the familys needs.
- Pooling- where both partners have access to income and joint responsibility over spending.
Who is most likely to make a decision and why?
The man due to his career taking priority when deciding whether to move house for a new job.
What are the three types of decisions made and who made them? (Edgell)
- Very important- involved finance ( moving house e.g.) usually made by the husband.
- Important- children’s education, holidays etc, usually taken jointly.
- Less important- home decor, clothes, food - made by the wife.
Domestic violence..
