domestic division of labour

define ddol?

roles played by men and women in relation to housework and childcare

what do general trends of men and women show?

• women do more cooking/washing up, cleaning, care of children, laundry

• men do more gardening, pet care, maintenance/ odd jobs

who says husbands and wives have segregated roles?

Parsons

what role does parson’s say the husband plays?

instrumental (breadwinner)

what role does parson’s say the women plays?

expressive role (homemaker - housework/ childcare)

what does he say this division is based on?

biological differences- woman are naturally suited to nurture; men naturally suited to provide. this is functional for the family and society

who agrees with this?

the new right

what are 2 criticisms of parsons?

• feminism - division of labour is not based on biology as it doesn’t occur everywhere so can’t be considered natural

• y&w - husbands now do more domestic work, wives are becoming wage earners

what are the two types of roles in couples?

• joint conjugral roles

• segregated conjugral roles

what are joint conjugral roles?

shared domestic tasks and both partners usually work- leisure time spent together

what are segregated conjugral roles?

separate roles with male breadwinner and female homemaker - separate leisure activities (e.g. working men’s clubs vs women with female relatives)

who has a march of progress view on couples?

Young & Wilmott

what do they say briefly?

family life becoming more equal for all members

what type of family do they say is more common now?

symmetrical family

what does this mean?

women going out to work, mean doing more domestic work

where are symmetrical families most common?

amongst wealthier and younger couples

what is this rise because of? (3)

• rise of feminism

• new technology and labour saving devices (washing machines)

• higher living standards

who has a feminist view on housework?

Oakley

what does she say briefly?

she rejects m.o.p - families are patriarchal so wives still do more domestic work and have less power than husbands

what is the evidence she found to why symmetrical family is a myth?

statistic?

• there is some evidence husbands are doing more domestic work but no evidence of symmetrical family

• only 15% of men have high participation in housework

what parts of childcare do men usually do?

play which is pleasurable and takes away from mothers who have to bathe and feed children

what does Boulton say in support of Oakley?

we shouldn’t just look at who performs tasks, but also who has overall responsibility for ensuring a task is done

2 more support points for Oakley?

• sex-typing of chores is still strong

• men only tend to do ‘female’ sex-typed jobs when wives are absent

what do young men say now?

most now think women shouldn’t do all the housework and many are likely to acknowledge they do not complete their fair share