power and decision making

what did Barret and McIntosh find

• money is very significant/ money=power

• the amount paid by single earners (usually male) does not balance out against the labours put in by a housewife which causes a power imbalance in the man’s favour

• financial support often comes with strings

• decision’s about children are made by women but things about moving house are often made by men

• EVAL- symmetrical families may avoid this

why did Kempson find

• women made more finical sacrifices for the family e.g. smaller social groups, go out less

• EVAL- growth of women’s leisure activities such as bottomless brunch

what did Paul and Vogler find

there are two systems of money management:

• allowance system- person who earns the most will keep the most (normally the man)

• pooling system- equal division of money/joint accounts

why do men generally hold the power

• feminists- society is patriarchal due to unequal pay

• this comes from role socialisation

• functionalists- due to biological factors (men are naturally more powerful)

what is the personal life perspective on families and money

• everyone is individual so many other perspectives are too broad/general so unequal money sharing may work for some couples

• Smart- we need to give attention to the meaning attached for money

• he says this view of money is found commonly in same sex couples who are free from the restraints of the heterosexual indentity

• Weeks- most common system today is a pooling one which shows a growing feeling of coindependence in couples

• money is not always a source of power and consumerism is not always appealing in