gender and the domestic division of labour

The domestic division of labour refers to the housework and childcare roles in the family. More recently, it has included emotion work. It asks the question whether this is gendered or not

EQUALITY

The ‘Symmetrical Family - Functionalists, Young & Willmott

Young and Willmott argue that as society has progressed so have the roles within the family. This is known as a March of Progress.

They conducted a study using structured interviews, which found 72% of husbands ‘help in the house’.

Their study found there has been a “march of progress” where over history there has been an improving democracy and equality in family life with a movement towards joint conjugal roles or the “symmetrical family” – a nuclear family where the roles of husbands and wives are more similar but not identical.

The characteristics of the symmetrical family are:

· More women are working, even if only part-time.

· Men are helping with housework and childcare.

· Couples are spending their leisure time together, ie. The family is more home-centred - privatised.

Their conjugal relationship was seen as companionate, with this family type being more common among younger couples.

Reasons why there has been a rise in symmetrical families

The rise of the symmetrical family is the result of a number of changes, which reflect a march of progress, including:

· Changes in women’s position – More women securing paid employment due to changing ambitions.

· Geographical mobility – Many couples have moved to chase employment and now live away from original communities and families, meaning individuals have become more reliant on each other.

Evaluation

1. However, there are a number of flaws to their argument, some would argue it is outdated and their research, a structured interview involved a limited study in London which focused only on the working class which means it lacks representation.

INEQUALITY

Exaggeration of Evidence – Feminist, Oakley

Oakley disagreed with the view posited by Young and Willmott, supporting more of a Radical Feminists perspective. She argued the figure of 72 per cent proves very little.

Her research, based on a sample of 40 married women whom she interviews in an unstructured manner, showed:

· 15 % of husbands had a high level of participation in housework,

· 25 % of husbands had a high level of participation in childcare.

She said there was no convincing evidence of symmetry, just simply men would provide some support to women, although very little in some homes, with women still dominating such responsibly.

Evaluation

1. Oakley’s study is outdated having been carried out in the 1970s. Some would argue we cannot apply her work to a contemporary society today. Furthermore, she also used a small sample, meaning it is difficult to generalise her findings to the population as a whole.