Gender roles
Outline and Evaluate couples have become more equal. (33)
Conjugal roles are roles within marriage. Segregated conjugal roles are couples with separate roles. The man is the breadwinner and the woman is the housewife. Leisure activities are also separate. Joint conjugal roles are couples that share housework and childcare and spend leisure time together.
Young and willmotts study on the symmetrical family shows a nuclear family where roles of men and women perform similar and shared roles. They claim that within a symmetrical family, the roles of husbands and wives are similar, though not identical. Women go out to work, whether full or part time. Men assist with housework and childcare. They found the symmetrical family to be more common in younger couples, the affluent and socially/geographically isolated.
Oakley is a feminist sociologist and she is very critical of the idea that there has been a shift towards joint conjugal roles. She argues that the roles of men and women are still largely segregated and if anything women are doing more than they have done in the past as they are now going out to work. Oakley studied a sample of 40 women from london who were from middle or working class backgrounds. Oakley found that middle class men were more likely to help than working class men. However, across all groups the help provided by men was quite limited. Oakley found that 15% of men helped with the housework and overall, 25% with childcare. Overall, this study indicates that segregated conjugal roles continue to be the norm. Oakley argues women take on the dual burden.
Dermott examine the decline of the father as the breadwinner and the rise of the intimate father. This research involved semi structured interviews with fathers. Findings indicate that for the fathers paid work was not the most important thing in their lives. To be a good father, they wanted to have good and intimate relationaships with their children.
Dunscombe and Marsden found
Conjugal roles are roles within marriage. Segregated conjugal roles are couples with separate roles. The man is the breadwinner and the woman is the housewife. Leisure activities are also separate. Joint conjugal roles are couples that share housework and childcare and spend leisure time together.
Young and willmotts study on the symmetrical family shows a nuclear family where roles of men and women perform similar and shared roles. They claim that within a symmetrical family, the roles of husbands and wives are similar, though not identical. Women go out to work, whether full or part time. Men assist with housework and childcare. They found the symmetrical family to be more common in younger couples, the affluent and socially/geographically isolated.
Oakley is a feminist sociologist and she is very critical of the idea that there has been a shift towards joint conjugal roles. She argues that the roles of men and women are still largely segregated and if anything women are doing more than they have done in the past as they are now going out to work. Oakley studied a sample of 40 women from london who were from middle or working class backgrounds. Oakley found that middle class men were more likely to help than working class men. However, across all groups the help provided by men was quite limited. Oakley found that 15% of men helped with the housework and overall, 25% with childcare. Overall, this study indicates that segregated conjugal roles continue to be the norm. Oakley argues women take on the dual burden.
Dermott examine the decline of the father as the breadwinner and the rise of the intimate father. This research involved semi structured interviews with fathers. Findings indicate that for the fathers paid work was not the most important thing in their lives. To be a good father, they wanted to have good and intimate relationaships with their children.
Dunscombe and Marsden found