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Young and Willmott, Reasons for the Move to symmetry, and Ann Oakley's view of conventional families.
Segregated conjugal roles
Clear division of domestic labour - tasks are divided by gender. The couple spend little of the leisure time together and have separate interests.
Joint conjugal roles
No rigid divison of household tasks into male and female jobs. The couple share much of their leisure time together and have few separate interests
Instrumental role
The breadwinner role in the family. Parsons sees this as the male's role in the family.
Expressive role
The caring, emotional and nurturing role in the family. Parsons sees this as the woman's natural role in the family.
Young and Willmott (1973)
Argued for the rise of intergrated conjugal roles. Said the symmetrical family was typical in Britain.
Symmetrical family
The spouses perform different tasks but each makes a similar contribution to the home. Decision-making is more shared (e.g. financial decisions). Family members are more home centred, sharing much of their leisure time
Young and Willmott (1973) research methods
Used a questionnaire survey delievered as a face-to-face structured interview
Reasons for the move to symmetry
Rise of feminism: women reject housewife role
Legal changes: women get more equality and status in the workplace:
More effective birth control = women able to combine motherhood and paid work.
Criticisms of Young and Willmott
Feminists reject the idea of the symmetrical family; Oakley argues that women in paid work still do the bulk of the domestic chores.
Women still work a double shift combining paid work with housework.
