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Topic 3: Gender roles, domestic labour and power relationships within the family in contemporary society. Different sociological arguments and evidence on this, including an understanding of the extent of changes and also diversity of experiences . Dunscombe and Marsden, Pahl , Dunne
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Topic 3: Gender roles, domestic labour and power relationships within the family in contemporary society • Different sociological arguments and evidence on this, including an understanding of the extent of changes and also diversity of experiences. • Dunscombe and Marsden, Pahl, Dunne • Different aspects of relationships, eg domestic labour, childcare, domestic violence, finance, dual burden triple shift etc. • Pahl and Vogler, Dobash and Dobash, Gershuny
In Pairs … Key Questions • Do men and women share housework and childcare equally? • Do men and women have equal say in family decisions and do they get equal shares of the household’s income? • Why does domestic violence occur and who commits it? Start – Discuss Men and women share domestic labour and childcare equally. 1 – Not at all 10- all the time
Watch the clip • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9v2hcsL5i0 • Would you say this couple are part of a symmetrical family?
What do we already know? What do you think the following have to say about male/female roles within the family.
The domestic division of labour • The roles that men and women play in relation to housework, childcare and paid work
Young and Wilmott (1973) The Symmetrical Family Eventually – all families will be symmetrical - EGALITARIAN March of Progress
The value of domestic labour In 2004, a report called ‘the value of a mum’(The Legal and General insurance firm) estimated a domestic labour figure. £21,840 per year £407.39 per week
It appears that housework is a relatively modern invention. In pre-industrial times, household tasks were not clearly distinguished from more general economic tasks, such as working on the farm, tending to the animals, baking and the various activities of cottage industries (Pahl, 1948).
During the Industrial Revolution, men became increasingly identified with the public world of production and wage labour, while women were confined to the private sphere of consumption and the home.
In the traditional nuclear family… The husband has an instrumental role! The women has an expressive role! Talcott Parsons (1955)
Instrumental role • To achieve success at work. • To provide financial support for family. • ‘Breadwinner’ • Expressive role • Primary socialisation of the children. • Meeting the family’s emotional needs. • ‘Home-maker’
Parsons argues that this division of labour is based on biological differences, with women ‘naturally’suited to the nurturing role. He claims that the division of labour is beneficial to both men and women. What benefits do you think Parsons imagines with this view? Can you think of any criticisms of this approach?
Thinking allowed? • Is it natural that women take responsibility for children? • This is still a popular view of the New Right. • Or does this set-up benefit certain groups of people?
Joint Conjugal Roles – Bott (1957) Two ways which household jobs can be shared.
Young and Wilmott (1973) The Symmetrical Family Eventually – all families will be symmetrical - EGALITARIAN March of Progress
The Symmetrical Family Roles of husbands and wives – are not identical are now much more similar. • Women go out to work • Men help with housework / childcare • Couples spend time together – home-centred (privatised) Longitudinal study – Bethnal Green. Symmetrical families were more likely in: • younger couples • who were geographically and socially isolated • more affluent.
The rise of the New Man “A man who has modern ideas about the relations between men and women, and believes that men should share the work of looking after the home and caring for the children.”
How do you measure domestic labour? Analysis and Evaluation A03
Did you know that on average, men have half an hour extra free time each day?
Oakley: 'The Sociology of Housework' (1974) • Oakley studied 40 London housewives. 20 were middle class, 20 working class. Her findings are very different to Willmott & Young. • She found they were as alienated by their work as factory workers were by their work.
She found... • Women spent, on average, 77 hours on housework per week! • 70% of women were dissatisfied with being a housewife. • Many women felt lonely – trapped at home • The husbands saw housework as their wives ‘job’ – they were the helpers. • Women also believed housework was their job – men who did housework were ‘not real men’ and they wanted their men ‘to be men’.
Oakley (1974) Oakley argues that men only have to do a few tasks around the house to qualify as having joint roles. Oakley’s research found that it was rare for men to do a lot of housework. She also saw how 10 minutes washing up for a man was the equivalent to an hour of hoovering for a woman. All of the above was a critique of Willmott and Young's study!
The feminist view - Oakley • Rejects ‘March of Progress view’. • Men and women remain unequal within the family and women do most of the housework. • The fact that men are seen as ‘helping’women more does not prove symmetry. It shows that the responsibility of housework is still the woman’s. • Even though more women work, the housewife role is still the women’s primary role Research findings • 15% of husbands had a high level of participation in housework • 25% high level in childcare (but only in the more pleasurable aspects) • Men take on the more pleasurable household tasks
Other research to support Oakley’s findings • Warde – sex-typing of domestic tasks is still strong. Women are 30 times more likely to do the washing and men 4 times more likely to wash the car. • Office for National statistics – women spend on average 2.5 hours a day on housework. Men spend 1 hour. • Boulton – only 20% of husbands have a major role in childcare • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTjk98hrPzU
Symmetrical Families? Are couples becoming more equal?
Jonathon Gershuny: the trend towards equality • Wives who work full time do less housework • Couples whose parents had more equal relationships were more likely to share housework • The longer a women has been in paid work, the more housework her husband is likely to do. Research Method: Time studies. Pps fill in a time-record of how long they spend on each task.
March of Progress? • Sullivan (2000) = trend towards women doing a smaller share of domestic work and men doing more ‘women’s’ tasks. • British Social Attitudes (2013) • Fewer people believe it is the man’s job to earn the money and woman’s role to stay at home.
The feminist view 1. New Man is a myth. 2. How much do men really do? 2012 – Men do 8 hours housework per week = women do 13 hours. Men spend 10 hours on caring whilst women spend 23 hours. 3. Who does what? Still gender divide in tasks.
Ferri and Smith (1996) The Dual Burden Working women acquire the dual burden of full-time work alongside unpaid housework. A sample of 1,589 33 year old mothers and fathers – only 4% took main responsibility for childcare • Dex & Ward (2007) Fathers had high levels of involvement with their three year olds – only 1% took responsibility when they were sick. • Background Fathers
Duncombe and Marsden (1995)Emotion Work – Triple Shift Emotion work – management of one’s own and other peoples emotions. Care of a sick child. Women are expected to do this on top of paid work, housework and emotion work.
Dunscombe and Marsden (1995) The Triple Shift
Mini-plenary Looking at the evidence. Do you want to change? Men and women share domestic labour and childcare equally. 1 – Not at all 10- all the time
Why are relationships unequal? Cultural Explanation Material Explanation Women earn less than men, so it is economically rational for women to do more housework and childcare and for men to earn money. DDOL determined by patriarchal norms, values and expectations.
Evidence? Cultural explanation Material explanation Man Yee Kan – every 10K a women earns she does 2 hours less housework. Ginn – middle class women buy in help to reduce their time. Sullivan – women who work part-time do more housework. • Gershuny – importance of parental role models. • Man Yee Kan – younger men do more than older men. • Dunne – lesbian couples have more symmetrical relationships – different norms.
Dunne (1999) Lesbian couples and gender scripts Heterosexuals are under pressure to conform to gender scripts by performing different domestic tasks that suit their gender identity. In a study of 37 Lesbian couples with children – lesbians are more likely to: • Describe their relationship as equal. • Share housework and childcare. • Give equal importance to both careers. • View childcare positively.
