Domestic Division of Labour

Instrumental role

Means of pursuing an aim, typically associated with the husband's role in providing financially for the family.

Expressive role

Effectively conveying thoughts and feelings, primarily associated with the wife's role in socializing children and meeting emotional needs.

Dual burden

The feminist idea that women have a dual burden of both paid work and unpaid work such as housework and childcare.

Emotion work

Managing the emotions and feelings of family members, such as resolving sibling squabbles or jealousy.

Triple shift

The idea that women do housework/childcare, paid work, and emotion work simultaneously.

Parson 1955

A functionalist who described husband/wife roles in a relationship as conjugal roles, with distinct instrumental and expressive roles.

Bott 1957

A functionalist who expanded on Parson's theory by introducing 'segregated' and 'joint' conjugal roles, highlighting separate leisure activities and equal division of housework.

Young and Willmott 1962

Functionalists who studied working-class families and supported Bott's findings, noting men’s leisure time was often spent with work colleagues.

March of Progress view

The belief that family life is improving, with roles of husbands and wives becoming more similar and couples spending leisure time together.

Oakley 1974

A feminist who criticized Young and Willmott's claims of progress, arguing their evidence was not convincing and highlighting low participation of husbands in housework and childcare.

Boulton 1983

A feminist who argued that fathers helped with specific tasks while mothers were responsible for children's overall wellbeing, finding less than 20% of husbands played a major role in childcare.

Ferri and Smith 1996

Found that fathers were involved in childcare in less than 4% of families.

Dex and Ward 2007

Found that while 78% of fathers played with their children, less than 1% took responsibility for caring for a sick child.

Braun, Vincent and Ball

Found that only 3 out of 70 families had a father as the main carer, with most fathers viewing their role as placating their spouse.

Ward & Hetherington 1993

Noted strong sex-typing of domestic tasks, with wives more likely to do laundry and husbands more likely to wash the car.

BSA 2013

Data supporting the feminist view of the dual burden, showing men do almost half the hours of housework/caring that women do, despite also working.

Quality time

Southerton (2011) noted that mothers face challenges in organizing quality time due to a 24/7 society, flexible working patterns, and fragmented blocks of time.

Family as a Unit of Socialization

Functionalists view the family as the primary unit for socializing children, teaching norms and values.

Stability of Society

Functionalists argue that families contribute to the stability and maintenance of society by fulfilling essential functions.

Kinship Structures

Functionalists analyze the roles and relationships within family structures, including extended family and kinship dynamics.

Murdock 1949

A functionalist who identified four main functions of the family: sexual, reproductive, economic, and educational.

Role of the Nuclear Family

Functionalists emphasize the nuclear family as a critical element for social structure, providing emotional and financial support.

Criticism of Functionalism

Critics argue that functionalism overlooks the complexities and diversity of family forms, including single-parent households.

Latent Functions of Family

Beyond overt functions, families also perform latent functions, such as isolation from potential social conflict.

Parsons' Perspective

Parsons suggested that families adapt to the needs of society, with varying structures fitting society's requirements.

Gender Roles in Families

Functionalists often endorse traditional gender roles, viewing them as beneficial for family cohesion and societal function.

Division of Labor

The functionalist perspective argues that a clear division of labor within families enhances efficiency and social order.