The domestic division of labour

• Parsons: instrumental and expressive roles:


  Parsons functionalist model of the family.
• Parsons: instrumental role:

  Husband has an instrumental role, geared towards achieving success at work, so that he can provide for the family financially. He is the breadwinner.
• Parsons: expressive roles:

  Wife has an expressive role, geared towards primary socialisation of children and meeting the family's emotional needs. She is the home-maker, full-time housewife rather than the wage earner
• Parsons: instrumental and expressive roles:


  The division of labour is based on biological differences, with women 'naturally' suited to the nurturing role and men to that of the provider. The division of labour is beneficial to both men and women, to their children and to wider society. New Right also hold this view.
• Criticisms of parsons:

  • Young and Willmott: argue that men are now taking a greater share of domestic tasks and more wives are becoming wage earners.
  • Feminists reject Parsons view that decision of labour is natural. They argue it only benefits men
• Joint and segregated conjugal roles:

  Bott: 2 types of conjugal roles, within marriage
• Bott - Segregated conjugal roles:

  The couple have separate roles: a male breadwinner and a female homemaker/carer, as in Parsons' instrumental and expressive roles. Leisure activities are also separate.
• Bott - Joint conjugal role:

  where the couple share tasks such as housework and childcare and spend their leisure time together.
• Joint and segregated conjugal roles:

  Study of traditional w/c extended families in Bethnal Green, in the 1950's. Men were the breadwinners. Played little part in home life and spent their leisure time with workmates in pubs and working men's clubs. Women were full-time housewives with sole responsibility for housework and childcare. Limited leisure women had was also spent with female family
• The symmetrical family:

  Young and Willmott take a 'march of progress' view of the history of the family. See family life as gradually improving for all its members, becoming more equal and democratic. Argue there was a long-term trend away from segregated conjugal roles and towards joint conjugal roles and the 'symmetrical family'.
• The symmetrical family - similar roles:

  • women now go out to work, although this may be part-time not full time
  • men now help with the housework and childcare
  • couples now spend their leisure time together instead of separately with workmates or female relatives.
• The symmetrical family:

  Study of families in London. The symmetrical family was more common among younger couples, those who are geographically and socially isolated, and the more affluent. See the rise of symmetrical nuclear families as the result of major social changes that have happened in the last century.
• The symmetrical families - Major social changes:

  • changes in women's position
  • geographical mobility
  • new technology
  • higher standards of living
• The symmetrical families:

  These social changes are interlinked. Married women bring in a second wage which raises the families standard of living. The couple can then afford more labour-saving devices which makes housework easier and encourages men to do more.
• Feminist view of housework:

  Reject the 'march of progress' view. Argue little has changed: men and women remain unequal within the family and women still do most of the housework. See this inequality as stemming from the fact that family and society are male-dominated or patriarchal. Women occupy a subordinate and dependent role within the family and wider society.
• A feminist view of housework:

  Oakley criticises Young and Willmott's view that the family is now symmetrical. Argues there claims are exaggerated. Although Young and Willmott found that husbands 'helped' out their wives once a week, this could include taking the children for a walk or making breakfast on occasion. For Oakley, this is hardly convincing evidence of symmetrical. She found evidence of husbands helping in the home but no evidence of symmetry. 15% of husbands had a level of participation in housework, only 25% had participation in childcare.
• A feminist view of housework:

  husbands were more likely to share in childcare than in housework, but only in the more pleasurable aspects. Defined the fathers role as 'taking an interest'. A good father would play with the kids and 'take them off her hands'. This could mean mothers lost the rewards of childcare, and were left with more time for housework.
• A feminist view of housework - Boulton:

  fewer than 20% of husbands had a major role in childcare. Young and Willmott exaggerate men's contribution by looking at the tasks involved with childcare rather than the responsibilities. A father may help with some tasks but it was always the mother who was responsible for the child's security and well-being.
• A feminist view of housework - Warde and Hetherington:


  Found that sex-typing of domestic tasks remained strong. Wives were 30x more likely to be the last person who had done the washing, while husbands were 4x more likely to be the last person to wash the car. Men would only carry out routine 'female' tasks when their partners were not around to do them. Found evidence of a slight change in younger men. No longer assumed women should do the housework and were more likely to think they were doing less than their fair share.