CONJUGAL ROLES

The Domestic Division of Labour

THE DOMESTIC

DIVISION OF LABOUR

Domestic Labour = housework, childcare and paid work.

Do men and women share domestic tasks equally?

TALCOTT PARSONS (1955)

Nuclear Family – nice and functional!

Husbands role = achieving success at work, financially supporting the family, very traditional!

Wife’s role = primary socialising the children, looking after the house, the home-maker.

‘Instrumental’ & ‘Expressive’ Roles’

Functionalist

‘EXPRESSIVE’ ROLE

‘INSTRUMENTAL’ ROLE

‘INSTRUMENTAL’ ROLE To achieve

success at work

To provide financial support for the family

To be a ‘Breadwinner’

‘EXPRESSIVE’ ROLE The Primary

socialisation of the children

Meeting the family’s emotional needs

A ‘home-maker’

Men and Women are ‘biologically’ suited to these roles so it’s only natural that men are

the breadwinners and women are the stay at home wives.

I disagree! Why am I biologically suited to stay at home?

Criticisms of Parsons

EASY TO CRITICISE PARSONS!

More men are becoming involved in domestic duties

More women are choosing a career instead of becoming a housewife

What do feminists argue about Parsons view?

BOTT (1957) JOINT AND SEGREGATED CONJUGAL ROLES

Segregated Conjugal roles very traditional - like Parsons view Men = breadwinner Women = Housewife The jobs are not shared

BOTT (1957) JOINT AND SEGREGATED CONJUGAL ROLES

Joint Conjugal roles Husband and Wife both share

responsibility for: paid work childcare domestic chores

Segregated Conjugal Roles

Husband = Breadwinner –

once home from work, he

can relax.

Wife = housekeeper, cook, parent, wife, etc. She

will not go out to work.

Joint Conjugal Roles

Husband & Wife = Breadwinners, parents, share

domestic chores etc. A more modern

family type!

THE SYMMETRICAL FAMILY

Young and Willmot (1973)

YOUNG AND WILLMOT (1973)

Reasons for the rise of the symmetrical family

Changes of women’s position in society

Geographical mobility

New technology

Better standards of living

‘THIS IS ‘THE MARCH OF PROGRESS’

MARXIST FEMINISTS WOULD ARGUE

AGAINST ‘THE MARCH OF PROGRESS VIEW Marxist-feminists

argue that housewives by cooking, washing her husband’s clothes and even sleeping with him makes her partner into a more productive worker.

THEY BELIEVE THAT DOMESTIC LABOUR

SERVES THE NEEDS OF THE CAPITALIST

ECONOMY Marxist-feminists believe in addition that by producing and rearing children, at no cost to employers, housewives play a vital part in the reproduction of labour.