Unit 1: Families and Households 1) Couples

Haleema BegumSutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls Sixth form

Interpretation

• Is the question about a particular form of inequality (e.g. domestic labour)? If yes, then stick to this.

• Or is it about inequality more generally? If yes, then (cover all sections) i.e. decision making, resources and domestic violence as-well.

The domestic division of labour

Parsons (1955)

• Take a Functionalists view• A couple should have

separate (marital roles), women: expressive, whilst men have: instrumental roles

• It is better for wider society• Biologically based gender

division of labour is the best way of organising family life.

Young & Willmott (1962)• They studied working-class extended

families in Bethnal Green• Men were the breadwinners and women

were the home-makers.• They see a long-term trend towards the

“symmetrical family”.• Roles are becoming more similar• Most women go out to work• Men help with housework, the “new

man”

Why is there a rise of the “symmetrical family”?

• There are smaller family sizes• More women are starting to work• Therefore a higher standard of

living and better housing (the house becomes home-centred)• Can afford labour saving devices

Ann Oakley (1974)

• The family is patriarchal• They are not

symmetrical or equal!!• The housewife role is

socially constructed (not BIOLOGICALLY NATURAL)

cont. Ann Oakley (1974)

• There is no evidence of symmetry in domestic labour

• Young + Willmott exaggerate the “new man” !!!

• Husbands “helped” was ironing their own shirt once a week

Boulton (1983)

• We need to look at who is responsible for tasks, NOT just who performs it

• Wife is seen responsible for children’s welfare, even when men “help”

• Less than one in five husbands took a major part in childcare

The impact of women working

Gurshuny (1994)• Men whose wives worked full-time did started to do

more work than before (despite going up to only 27%)• But domestic tasks are still sex-typed• There is a change in values and role-models or “lagged

adaption” resulting in gradually women working full-time

• (Crompton): argues changes are because of ECONOMIC factors not values.

• Women’s increasing earning power means men have to do more in the home

• But men still earn more, so the division of labour is still unequal

Schor (1993)• The “commercialisation of

housework” has led to the DEATH of the housewife role!! – but only for the better off

• Couples can now buy and invest in ready meals, nurseries, etc therefore cuts the amount of domestic labour

• (HOWEVER): not all couples are in the same economic position- class and income play a role in the domestic division of labour

Ferry and Smith (1996)

• They found that women who were carrying duel burden had little impact on the D.O.L

• Under 4% of fathers were the main child-carer

Morris (1990)

• Morris (1990) found that even when the wife was working and the husband was unemployed, she still did most of the housework!!

• Men suffered the crisis of MASCULINITY • Losing their breadwinner role, they did not

want to give in to the feminine domestic role

Duncombe and Marsden (1995)

• Found that women required Triple Shift

• Emotional work• Domestic labour• Paid work

Gillian Dunne (1999)• She studied 37 lesbian couples finding a more

equal D.O.L• She says heterosexual relationships are

“inevitably patriarchal”• They have allocate the masculine and feminine

identities (GENDER SCRIPTED)• Lesbians were more open to negitiation• (HOWEVER): She found that when one partner

did ... More paid work less domestic work• i.e paid work was still an important influence

Resources and decision making

Kempson (1994)• Women in low-income families

denied their own need- to make ends meet

• Even households with adequate incomes, resources are often shared unequally leaving women in poverty

• The man is usually in control of the family’s income and deciding how to spend it

• This leads to unequal shares and resources for the wife

Pahl and Vogler (1993)

The allowance system:• The allowance system is

when the men work and give their non-working wives an allowance to budget to meet the family’s needs.

Pooling:• Pooling is where both

partners work having joint responsibility for spending i.e. Having a joint bank account

Despite the massive increase in pooling over the recent years, Vogler (1994) found out that men still make the major decisions, reflecting their greater earnings

Edgell (1980)

1) Economic• Men earn more have more

power• Women are economically

dependent have less say

2) Patriarchal socialisation

• Some Feminists argue that gender role socialisation in patriarchal society instils the idea that men are the decision-makers

Domestic violence

British Crime Survey (BCS)

• There are 6.6 million assaults per year (mainly men against women)

• Nearly 1 in 4 women were assaulted by her partner at some time

• 1 in 3 of assaults are reported

Police statistics

• Police statistics under-estimate its extent because of• Under- reporting: (BCS) say 1 in 3 assaults are

reported• Under-recording: police are reluctant/unwilling to

investigate, record or get involved with the family’s “private sphere”

• Victim should just leave if unhappy(HOWEVER): many women are financially dependent

on their partners and cannot leave their children

Dobash and Dobash • Found out that violence

was triggered when husbands felt their authority was being challenged

• They conclude that marriage legitimates violence by giving power to men

Elliot (1996) argues not all men benefit from it

The Radical Feminist Explanation

• It is patriarchy- male domination• Men oppress women through the family domestic

labour + sexual services• Violence or the threat of it allows them to get what

they want• Men dominate the state police and courts fail to

take domestic violence seriously Radical Feminists fail to explain violence against

children, men, or lesbiansDiscuss D.V as well as housework

Domestic violence and inequality

Wilkinson (1996)• Families who lack resources

i.e. Low income, poor housing, - suffer more stress, this increases violence

• Lack of resources: stress social inequality

HOWEVER: He doesn’t explain why women rather than men are the main victims