Feminist view

• What is the Feminist view on role equality in the household?

  • (Ann Oakley)- rejected march of progress view, little has changed between men & women and women still remain unequal in the family.
  • The inequality stems From the fact society is male dominated
  • Ann Oakley argues Wilmott & young exaggerate how much more the men help in the household, E.g men help their wives at least once a Week, this is not symmetry.
• What did Ann Oakley find in her study?

  • Oakley found some evidence of husbands helping in the home, but not symmetrically.
  • She found only 15% if husbands had a high level of participation in the housework, and only 25% had a high participation level in childcare.
  • In terms of childcare, fathers only tended to do the ‘fun‘ activities with the children such as taking them on days out etc.
• Which studies support Ann Oakley’s feminist view?

  • (Boulton)- found that fewer than 20% of husbands had a major role in childcare & argues Willmott and Young exaggerate mens contributions because they looked at tasks and not overall responsibilities. A father may help with some tasks, but the mother is more likely to be responsible for overall security and wellbeing.
  • (Warde & Hertherington)- found that sex-typing of domestic tasks was still present, women are 30x more likely to have been the last one to have done the washing, men are 4x more likely to have been the last one to wash the car.