Topic 1- Couples
The domestic division of labor
Parsons: instrumental and Joint and segregated The symmetrical family A feminist view of
expressive roles conjugal roles housework
Sociologist Parsons and feminists Bott and Young and Young and Willmott and Ann Oakley
Willmott feminists
Point In the traditional nuclear Bott distinguishes Young and Willmott take She criticizes Young and
family, the roles of the between two types of a ‘march of progress’ Wilmotts view saying
husband and wives are conjugal roles; that is, view of the history of the their claims are
separate and distinct from roles within marriage. family. They see family exaggerated. In her own
one another. life as gradually research on housewives,
Separate conjugal roles, improving for all its Oakley found some
where the couple have members, becoming evidence of husbands
separate roles: a male more equal and helping in the home as
breadwinner and a female democratic. They argue Young and willmott
homemaker. that there has been a argued, however there
long-term trend away was no evidence of a
Joint conjugal roles, from segregated trend towards symmetry.
where the couple share conjugal roles and
tasks such as housework towards joint conjugal
and childcare and spend roles and the
their leisure time together. ‘symmetrical family’.
Evidence/ Parsons functionalist Young and willmott Women now go out to Only 15% of husbands
Example model of the family identified a pattern of work, although this may had a high level of
identifies the husband as segregated conjugal roles be part-time rather than participation in
having an instrumental in their study of traditional full-time. housework, and only 25%
role; geared towards working-class extended had a high level of
achieving success at work families in Bethnal Green Men now help more with participation in childcare.
so that he can provide for in the 1950s childcare and Husbands were more
the family financially housework. likely to share in childcare
(breadwinner), whereas Men were the than in housework, but
the wife has an breadwinners. They only it's more pleasurable
expressive role; geared played a little part in home aspects.
towards primary life and spent their leisure
socialization of the time in pubs with their
children and thus meeting friends. By contrast
the families emotional women were full-time
needs ( homemaker). housewives with sole
responsibility for
childcare. Their limited
leisure time was spent
with female kin.
Explanation He argues that this In their study of families Most couples defined the
, division of labour is based in London, Young and fathers role as one of
on biological differences, Willmott found that the ‘taking an interest’. A
with women ‘naturally’ ‘symmetrical family’ was good father was one who
suited to the nurturing role more common among would play with the
and men to that of younger couples, those children in the evenings
provider. He claims that who are geographically and ‘take them off their
this division of labour is and socially isolated, hands’ on Sunday
beneficial to both men and the better off. morning.
and women, their children
and the wider society. They see this rise as a
Similarly the New Right result of major social
movement also holds this changes that have taken
view. place during the past
century such as
changes in women
positions and higher
living standards.
Evaluation However, feminist However, feminist However, mothers would
sociologists reject sociologists reject this lose the regards of
Parson's view that the ‘march of progress’ childcare and instead be
division of labour is view, arguing that little left with more housework
‘natural’, adding it only has changed: men and activities.
benefits men. women remain unequal
within the family. They
see this inequality
stemming from the fact
that the family and
society are
male-dominated or
patriarchal.
Explaining the gender division of Labour
Crompton and Lyonette identify two different explanations for the unequal division of labor
- The cultural or ideological explanation of inequality
In this view, the division of labour is determined by patriarchal norms and values that
shape the gender roles in our culture. Women perform more domestic labour simply
because that's what society expects them to do and that's how they were socialized. For
example Dunne found that lesbian couples had more symmetrical relationships because
of the absence of traditional heterosexual ‘gender scripts’.
- The material or economic explanation of inequality
In this view, the fact that women generally earn less than men means it is economically
rational for women to do more of the housework and childcare while men spend more
time earning money. For example, Kan found that for every £10,000 a year a woman
earns, she does two hours less housework per week.
