Unit 1 Sociology - Families and Households - AQA

defines family as 'a group- of people who live in the same house. It includes adults of both sexes, at least two of whom have a socially approved sexual children and one or more children'

Functionalist - instrumental and expressive roles in a nuclear family

'Symmetrical Family' - men are now taking on a greater share of the housework

Two types of conjugal roles - segrated conjugal roles and joint conjuagal roles.

Criticises Young + Willmott and the 'symmetrical family' as it is exaggerated

Fewer than 20% of men had a major role in the care of the children

sex-typing of domestic roles remains strong

Generational change - 70% of womendo less housework than their mothers, 65% of men do more than their fathers

'Trend towards equality' - wives that worked full time did less domestic work

trend towards greater equality as men did more domestic work - data collected 1975, 1987 and 1997

Accepts Gershuny's evidence - as women's earnings increase, men do more work in the home

Commecialisation of housework - causing less of a burden on women

Commecialisation of housework - causing less of a burden on women

Men gain more from women's domestic work than they give in financial support

low income families - women denied their own needs to make ends meet

women living on benefits after separating with their husbands felt better off - benefits a more reliable source of income

Pooling and allowance systems

30 dual career couples - men still had a part in the important decisions if not making them alone

women's lives structured around husband's career

Very Important Decisions made by husband - important made jointly - less important made by wife

found that on average women suffer 35 assaults before making a report

state agencies are reluctant to get involved in domestic abuse cases

domestic violence is evidence of patriachy

provide evidence of the dual burden

found that men who had suffered a loss of their masculine role as a result of become unemployed saw domestic work as women's work

men who are not in work and partner works full-time, male domestic labour matches that of his partner

argue that women are expected not only to have a dual burden of housework and paid work, but also a triple shift that includes emotion work

in lesbian relationships women do not have to apply to certain gender scripts and so relationships are more equal when it comes to childcare and housework and both hold each other's career to the same standard

same-sex relationships offer greater possibilities for equality

women are more likely to have experienced 'intimate violence' across all four types of abuse - partner abuse, family abuse, sexual assault and stalking