Subjects

Sociology

Social Stratification

Gender

Gender Roles and Stereotypes

What Happens at Home: How We Share Chores and Gender Roles

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What Happens at Home: How We Share Chores and Gender Roles

Khadijah Baz

@khadijah_baz

178 Followers

The domestic division of labour has significantly shaped gender roles over time, with varying perspectives on housework equality and changes in conjugal roles. This summary explores key sociological views on the topic, from Parsons' traditional model to feminist critiques and modern research findings.

Parsons' view established traditional gender roles in the family
Conjugal roles have evolved from segregated to more joint over time
Feminist perspectives challenge the idea of true equality in housework
Paid work has had mixed impacts on domestic labour division
Cultural and material factors influence gender division of labour

2/3/2023

919

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Parsons' View on Family Roles

Talcott Parsons' "The Social Structure of the Family" (1959) outlined distinct roles for husbands and wives in nuclear families:

Husbands have an instrumental role - focused on work outside the home to financially support the family as breadwinners
Wives have an expressive role - providing primary socialization for children and meeting the family's emotional needs as homemakers

Parsons argued these roles were based on biological differences between men and women. He claimed this division benefited men, women, children, and wider society by creating stability.

Definition: The instrumental function in sociology refers to task-oriented roles focused on achieving practical goals, while expressive roles focus on maintaining relationships and emotional wellbeing.

Highlight: Parsons' functionalist theory assumes an unequal domestic division of labor is natural and beneficial, a view heavily critiqued by feminist sociologists.

View

Conjugal Roles in Marriage

Sociologists have examined how marital roles have changed over time:

Elizabeth Bott identified two types of conjugal roles:

Segregated - separate roles for husbands and wives (similar to Parsons' model)
Joint - shared tasks and leisure time

Young and Willmott took a "march of progress" view, arguing families were becoming more equal:

1950s study found very separate roles in working-class families
By 1973, they claimed joint conjugal roles and "symmetrical families" were emerging

Example: In segregated roles, men might spend leisure time at the pub while women socialize with female relatives. Joint roles involve couples sharing housework and spending free time together.

Highlight: The concept of "symmetrical families" with more equal roles has been influential but also critiqued as overly optimistic.

View

Feminist Critiques of Housework Equality

Feminist critiques of housework equality argue that despite some changes, significant inequalities in domestic labor persist:

Ann Oakley found Young and Willmott's claims of symmetrical families were exaggerated:
- Only 15% of husbands had high participation in housework
- Only 25% had high participation in childcare
Boulton's research showed less than 20% of fathers had a major role in childcare
- Argued studies focus too much on specific tasks rather than overall responsibility
Warde and Hetherington found men would only do "female" tasks when partners were absent
- However, noted changing attitudes in younger men

Quote: "There's no sign of a 'new man' who equals the share of housework" - Feminist perspective

Highlight: Feminist sociologists argue that women's entry into paid work has not led to an equal redistribution of domestic labor.

View

Impact of Paid Work on Domestic Division of Labor

Research on how women's increased participation in paid work affects the domestic division of labor shows mixed results:

Arguments for increased equality:

Gershuny: Women working full-time leads to more equal division at home
Sullivan: Trend of women doing less housework and men doing more

Arguments against increased equality:

Concept of the "dual burden" - women doing paid work and most unpaid domestic tasks
Ferri and Smith: Less than 4% of fathers took primary responsibility for childcare
Braun et al: Most fathers still had a "provider ideology"

Vocabulary: "Dual burden" refers to women's responsibility for both paid employment and unpaid domestic work.

Example: Hochschild's concept of "emotion work" highlights how women often manage family members' emotions in addition to practical tasks.

Highlight: The impact of women's paid work on household roles remains debated, with evidence of both change and continuity.

View

Gender Division of Labor: Explanations

Crompton and Lyonette identify two main explanations for the persistent unequal division of domestic labor:

Cultural explanations:
- Patriarchal norms socialize women into domestic roles
- Gershuny: Parents' more equal relationships influence children's later division of labor
- Kan: Younger men do more housework
Material explanations:
- Women's lower pay used to justify doing more housework
- Kan: For every £10,000 more a woman earns, she does 2 hours less housework per week

Example: Dunne found lesbian couples often had more symmetrical relationships due to the absence of heterosexual "gender scripts."

Highlight: Both cultural norms and economic factors contribute to the persistent gender division of domestic labor.

View

Value of Unpaid Work and Economic Impact

While not directly addressed in the transcript, it's important to consider:

Women's unpaid work statistics show they perform a disproportionate share of household and care work
The value of women's unpaid work is substantial but often overlooked in economic measures
Unpaid care and domestic work has significant impacts on women's labor force participation and earnings

Highlight: Recognizing and valuing unpaid domestic and care work is crucial for understanding gender inequality and economic contributions.

View

Domestic Division of Labor

The domestic division of labor refers to how household tasks and childcare responsibilities are shared between partners. Talcott Parsons' family theory from 1959 proposed distinct roles for husbands and wives based on biological differences, but this view has been heavily critiqued by feminist sociologists.

Key points:

Parsons argued husbands have an instrumental role as breadwinners while wives have an expressive role focused on emotional needs and childcare
This traditional model assumes an unequal division of domestic labor
More recent sociological research examines if family roles have become more equal over time
Feminist critiques highlight persistent inequalities in housework and childcare responsibilities
The impact of women's increased participation in paid work on domestic roles remains debated

Highlight: Understanding changing family roles and the division of household labor provides insight into gender inequality in society.

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Knowunity is the # 1 ranked education app in five European countries

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Students use Knowunity

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SuSSan, iOS User

Love this App ❤️, I use it basically all the time whenever I'm studying

Subjects

Sociology

Social Stratification

Gender

Gender Roles and Stereotypes

What Happens at Home: How We Share Chores and Gender Roles

Khadijah Baz

@khadijah_baz

178 Followers

Parsons' view established traditional gender roles in the family
Conjugal roles have evolved from segregated to more joint over time
Feminist perspectives challenge the idea of true equality in housework
Paid work has had mixed impacts on domestic labour division
Cultural and material factors influence gender division of labour

2/3/2023

919

12/13

Sociology

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Parsons' View on Family Roles

Talcott Parsons' "The Social Structure of the Family" (1959) outlined distinct roles for husbands and wives in nuclear families:

Husbands have an instrumental role - focused on work outside the home to financially support the family as breadwinners
Wives have an expressive role - providing primary socialization for children and meeting the family's emotional needs as homemakers

Parsons argued these roles were based on biological differences between men and women. He claimed this division benefited men, women, children, and wider society by creating stability.

Definition: The instrumental function in sociology refers to task-oriented roles focused on achieving practical goals, while expressive roles focus on maintaining relationships and emotional wellbeing.

Highlight: Parsons' functionalist theory assumes an unequal domestic division of labor is natural and beneficial, a view heavily critiqued by feminist sociologists.

Sign up to see the content. It's free!

Access to all documents

Improve your grades

Join milions of students

By signing up you accept Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Conjugal Roles in Marriage

Sociologists have examined how marital roles have changed over time:

Elizabeth Bott identified two types of conjugal roles:

Segregated - separate roles for husbands and wives (similar to Parsons' model)
Joint - shared tasks and leisure time

Young and Willmott took a "march of progress" view, arguing families were becoming more equal:

1950s study found very separate roles in working-class families
By 1973, they claimed joint conjugal roles and "symmetrical families" were emerging

Example: In segregated roles, men might spend leisure time at the pub while women socialize with female relatives. Joint roles involve couples sharing housework and spending free time together.

Highlight: The concept of "symmetrical families" with more equal roles has been influential but also critiqued as overly optimistic.

Sign up to see the content. It's free!

Access to all documents

Improve your grades

Join milions of students

By signing up you accept Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Feminist Critiques of Housework Equality

Feminist critiques of housework equality argue that despite some changes, significant inequalities in domestic labor persist:

Ann Oakley found Young and Willmott's claims of symmetrical families were exaggerated:
- Only 15% of husbands had high participation in housework
- Only 25% had high participation in childcare
Boulton's research showed less than 20% of fathers had a major role in childcare
- Argued studies focus too much on specific tasks rather than overall responsibility
Warde and Hetherington found men would only do "female" tasks when partners were absent
- However, noted changing attitudes in younger men

Quote: "There's no sign of a 'new man' who equals the share of housework" - Feminist perspective

Highlight: Feminist sociologists argue that women's entry into paid work has not led to an equal redistribution of domestic labor.

Sign up to see the content. It's free!

Access to all documents

Improve your grades

Join milions of students

By signing up you accept Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Impact of Paid Work on Domestic Division of Labor

Research on how women's increased participation in paid work affects the domestic division of labor shows mixed results:

Arguments for increased equality:

Gershuny: Women working full-time leads to more equal division at home
Sullivan: Trend of women doing less housework and men doing more

Arguments against increased equality:

Concept of the "dual burden" - women doing paid work and most unpaid domestic tasks
Ferri and Smith: Less than 4% of fathers took primary responsibility for childcare
Braun et al: Most fathers still had a "provider ideology"

Vocabulary: "Dual burden" refers to women's responsibility for both paid employment and unpaid domestic work.

Example: Hochschild's concept of "emotion work" highlights how women often manage family members' emotions in addition to practical tasks.

Highlight: The impact of women's paid work on household roles remains debated, with evidence of both change and continuity.

Sign up to see the content. It's free!

Access to all documents

Improve your grades

Join milions of students

By signing up you accept Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Gender Division of Labor: Explanations

Crompton and Lyonette identify two main explanations for the persistent unequal division of domestic labor:

Cultural explanations:
- Patriarchal norms socialize women into domestic roles
- Gershuny: Parents' more equal relationships influence children's later division of labor
- Kan: Younger men do more housework
Material explanations:
- Women's lower pay used to justify doing more housework
- Kan: For every £10,000 more a woman earns, she does 2 hours less housework per week

Example: Dunne found lesbian couples often had more symmetrical relationships due to the absence of heterosexual "gender scripts."

Highlight: Both cultural norms and economic factors contribute to the persistent gender division of domestic labor.

Sign up to see the content. It's free!

Access to all documents

Improve your grades

Join milions of students

By signing up you accept Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Value of Unpaid Work and Economic Impact

While not directly addressed in the transcript, it's important to consider:

Women's unpaid work statistics show they perform a disproportionate share of household and care work
The value of women's unpaid work is substantial but often overlooked in economic measures
Unpaid care and domestic work has significant impacts on women's labor force participation and earnings

Highlight: Recognizing and valuing unpaid domestic and care work is crucial for understanding gender inequality and economic contributions.

Sign up to see the content. It's free!

Access to all documents

Improve your grades

Join milions of students

By signing up you accept Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Domestic Division of Labor

Key points:

Parsons argued husbands have an instrumental role as breadwinners while wives have an expressive role focused on emotional needs and childcare
This traditional model assumes an unequal division of domestic labor
More recent sociological research examines if family roles have become more equal over time
Feminist critiques highlight persistent inequalities in housework and childcare responsibilities
The impact of women's increased participation in paid work on domestic roles remains debated

Highlight: Understanding changing family roles and the division of household labor provides insight into gender inequality in society.

Can't find what you're looking for? Explore other subjects.

Knowunity is the # 1 ranked education app in five European countries

Knowunity was a featured story by Apple and has consistently topped the app store charts within the education category in Germany, Italy, Poland, Switzerland and United Kingdom. Join Knowunity today and help millions of students around the world.

Download in

Google Play

Download in

App Store

4.9+

Average App Rating

15 M

Students use Knowunity

#1

In Education App Charts in 12 Countries

950 K+

Students uploaded study notes

Still not sure? Look at what your fellow peers are saying...

iOS User

I love this app so much [...] I recommend Knowunity to everyone!!! I went from a C to an A with it :D

Stefan S, iOS User

The application is very simple and well designed. So far I have found what I was looking for :D

SuSSan, iOS User

What Happens at Home: How We Share Chores and Gender Roles

Parsons' View on Family Roles

Conjugal Roles in Marriage

Feminist Critiques of Housework Equality

Impact of Paid Work on Domestic Division of Labor

Gender Division of Labor: Explanations

Value of Unpaid Work and Economic Impact

Domestic Division of Labor

Similar Content

Can't find what you're looking for? Explore other subjects.

Knowunity is the # 1 ranked education app in five European countries

Knowunity was a featured story by Apple and has consistently topped the app store charts within the education category in Germany, Italy, Poland, Switzerland and United Kingdom. Join Knowunity today and help millions of students around the world.

4.9+

15 M

#1

950 K+

Still not sure? Look at what your fellow peers are saying...

I love this app so much [...] I recommend Knowunity to everyone!!! I went from a C to an A with it :D

The application is very simple and well designed. So far I have found what I was looking for :D

Love this App ❤️, I use it basically all the time whenever I'm studying

What Happens at Home: How We Share Chores and Gender Roles

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Parsons' View on Family Roles

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Conjugal Roles in Marriage

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Feminist Critiques of Housework Equality

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Impact of Paid Work on Domestic Division of Labor

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Gender Division of Labor: Explanations

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Value of Unpaid Work and Economic Impact

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Domestic Division of Labor

Similar Content

Can't find what you're looking for? Explore other subjects.

Knowunity is the # 1 ranked education app in five European countries

Knowunity was a featured story by Apple and has consistently topped the app store charts within the education category in Germany, Italy, Poland, Switzerland and United Kingdom. Join Knowunity today and help millions of students around the world.

4.9+

15 M

#1

950 K+

Still not sure? Look at what your fellow peers are saying...

I love this app so much [...] I recommend Knowunity to everyone!!! I went from a C to an A with it :D

The application is very simple and well designed. So far I have found what I was looking for :D

Love this App ❤️, I use it basically all the time whenever I'm studying