Disagreeing with equality in a relationship

• Rosemary Crompton

  She argues that the division of labour in the home is still unequal. Due to men still earning more than women and because they earn less, they will be expected to do more housework and childcare.
• Oakley 1974


  She claims the symmetrical family is a huge overstatement because men's help with housework may be tiny. For example, making breakfast once a week
• 50/50

  Oakley's found that only 15% of men had a high level of participation in housework and 25% in childcare.
• Men cherry pick jobs

  This mean men tend to take part in the enjoyable part. For example, playing with the children on Sunday, but not getting them up and out for school. Oakley found most couples define a father's role as just 'taking an interest'
• Boulton

  She believes Wilmott and Young exaggerated their claim of a symmetrical family. Less than 20% of husbands had a major role in childcare. The was was nearly always responsible for the security and well-being of the couple's children.
• Braun, Vincent and Ball

  They found in their study of 70 families that in only 3 of these was the father the main carer - they argued most are background fathers with a 'provider ideology'. This means they're providing for the family.
• Warde and Hetherington 1993


  They show domestic tasks are sex-typed (specific jobs for women and men). They found that wives are 30 times more likely to wash up last and a husband is 4 times more likely to have washed the car.
• Elston

  400 couples who were both doctors was interviewed. 80% of female doctors took time off work to look after their sick children compared with 2% of male doctors.