Evaluate the view that the family is becoming more symmetrical

What is the main argument of P1?

Women's increased participation in paid work and changing social attitudes have encouraged joint conjugal roles based on negotiation rather than obligation.

[P1] What did Young and Willmott argue?

Families became symmetrical through shared housework, childcare and leisure. Their Bethnal Green case study found privatised nuclear families became more home-centred and companionate

[P1] What did Gershuny find?

Men whose wives worked full-time performed more domestic labour

[P1] What did Sullivan find?

Younger couples expressed increasingly egalitarian attitudes towards domestic roles

What is the broader sociological argument in P1?

These changes reflect broader processes including secularisation, feminism and the feminisation of the workforce.

What is the P1 evaluation?

Feminists argue the symmetrical family is exaggerated.

[P1 evaluation] What did Oakley argue against the symmetrical family thesis?

Research found women still performed the majority of domestic labour despite men helping occasionally

[P1 evaluation] What did Duncombe and Marsden argue?

Women experience a triple shift — combining paid work, domestic labour and emotional labour

[P1 evaluation] What did Boulton find?

Childcare studies found women remained primarily responsible for children even in households where men claimed to help

What is the main argument of P2?

Feminists argue women still complete the majority of unpaid domestic labour within families, reproducing gender inequality across generations.

[P2] What did Oakley find about housewives?

Found housewives experienced monotony and isolation due to domestic labour. Her London housewife interviews showed husbands had little involvement in childcare

[P2] What did Delphy and Leonard argue?

Men materially benefit from women's unpaid labour within patriarchal households

What is the broader feminist argument in P2?

Radical feminists argue patriarchy remains embedded within family life because women continue to experience exploitation inside the home.

What is the P2 evaluation?

Some sociologists argue gradual progress has occurred.

What did Gershuny find in the context of P2?

Domestic labour becomes more equal when women work full-time

[P2 evaluation] What did Kan find?

Younger men increasingly participate in housework, suggesting generational change is producing a gradual trend towards more equal domestic labour

What did Young and Willmott argue about technology in the P2 evaluation?

Technological developments — such as labour-saving household appliances — reduced the overall burden of domestic tasks

What is the main argument of P3?

Feminists argue men continue to hold greater power within many families.

[P3] What did Edgell find?

Case study research found men made important decisions — such as those about finances and moving house — while women made less significant everyday decisions

[P3] What did Pahl and Vogler find?

Identified financial management systems where men frequently controlled household income, showing that even in dual-earner households economic power often remains with men.

[P3] What did Dobash and Dobash argue?

Domestic violence reflected male dominance and control within patriarchal families

What is the broader argument in P3?

Marxist and feminist sociologists argue economic inequality gives men greater bargaining power inside relationships.

What is the P3 evaluation?

Other sociologists argue modern relationships are becoming more democratic.

[P3 evaluation] What did Giddens argue about modern relationships?

"Pure relationship" — maintained only as long as both partners find it mutually satisfying — suggesting family life is becoming more equal and democratic rather than patriarchal.

What did Weeks argue in the P3 evaluation?

Found same-sex couples often create negotiated and equal relationships, suggesting that when traditional gender roles are absent, genuinely democratic family arrangements become possible

[P3 evaluation] What did Silver and Schor find?

Dual-earner households increasingly shared financial decisions