Outline and explain two ways in which changing cjildbewrijg patterns have influneced gender roles and relationships withins families and households

Point

joint conjugal roles-husband and wife share household tasks

Evidence

fertility rates decline→families smaller→women have more opportunities to enter paid employment→fewer children to care for

Evidence 2x

Young and willmot→modern family→symmetrical→couples sharing domestic responsibilities+leisure activities

Refer back

decline in fertility rates→more equal gender roles + relationships→partners contribute to the households

Criticism

Feminist(Oakley)→exaggerate→women still perform dual burden=carrying out paid employment while remaining responsible of childcare+housework

mini conclusion

Therefore-although changing childbearing patterns encourages joint conjugal roles→traditional gender inequality→still remain within fam+house

Point

increased participation of women in paid employment

evidence

laws (sex discrimination 1975) +equal pay act 1970)→ helped reduced discrimination in employment

evidence 2x

decline fertility=small families→women have fewer children to take care of=easier to enter + remain in paid employment→increase independence +changes in relationships within households

refer back

changing childbearing patterns→ challenges tradition gender roles +creating equal relationships

criticism

hasn’t resulted in complete equality→Duncombe+marsden→triple shift=three kinds of work women carry out,paid employment,unpaid domestic labour and emotional labour)→women still carry greater burden of responsibility despite workforce

mini conclusion

increased employment + challenges traditional male breadwinner role + encouraged greater gender equality→triple shift→women still experinced inequality within fam+household