Domestic division of labour

• Feminists


  Reject the functionalist view that the division of labour is 'natural' and only benefits men
• Domestic division of labour


  • Refers to the roles men and women play e.g. housework, childcare, paid work
  • Do they share these equally?
• Functionalism


  • Parsons (1955) identifies two conjugal (marital) roles: the instrumental role of the male breadwinner and the expressive role of the female nurturer/carer
  • Parsons argues this gender division of labour is functional for the family, its members and wider society
  • Sees this division as biologically based
• New Right


  Agree with Parsons that the biologically based gender division of labour is the best way of organising family life
• The 'march of progress' view


  • Sees conjugal roles becoming more equal in modern society
  • Segregated conjugal roles are separate with a sharp division of labour
  • Joint conjugal roles involve couples sharing domestic tasks and leisure
• Symmetrical family


  Young and Willmott (1973) see a long-term trend towards joint conjugal roles and the symmetrical family, where roles are more similar and equal
• • Most women now go out to work
  • Men help with housework and childcare (the new man)
  • Couples spend their leisure time together
  • Men have become more home-centred and the family more privatised
• Reasons for the rise of the symmetrical family include higher living standards, labour-saving devices, better housing, women working, smaller families
• Feminists


  • Reject the march of progress view
  • See the family as patriarchal (male-dominated), not symmetrical or equal
  • Women still do most of the housework and childcare
• • Oakley (1974) found no evidence of symmetry in domestic labour
  • Argues that Young and Willmott exaggerate men's role
• • Boulton (1983) argues we need to look at who is responsible for tasks, not just who performs them
  • The wife is seen as responsible for children's welfare, even when men help
  • Less than one in five husbands took a major part in childcare
• This is about the different roles men and women have in the housework, childcare and paid work. Different sociologists have different views about the domestic work is shared equally by men and women.
• Functionalist view (Parsons 1955)


  • Husband is the breadwinner, wife is the homemaker and responsible for childcare. Roles are complementary and based on biological differences.
• Segregated conjugal roles (Bott 1957)

  • Couple have separate roles; a male breadwinner and female homemaker. Leisure activities are separate too.
• Joint conjugal roles


  • Couple share tasks (childcare, housework) and spend leisure time together.
• Young & Wilmott's study of WC conventional nuclear families

  • Men were breadwinners, were not involved much in home life and spent leisure time with workmates. Women were full-time housewives responsible for housework & childcare, and spent limited leisure time with female kin.
• Feminists reject the march of progress view, they argue families are still used as the woman does most of the housework.
• Oakley (1974)


  • Criticises Young & Wilmott for over exaggerating the symmetrical family. Her own study found men are helping more (15% high housewerk, 25% high childcare), which still doesn't show symmetry. Says researchers cherry pick tasks and women with extra time for housework.
• Warde & Hetherington (1993)

  • Domestic tasks are sex-typed, EG: wives are 30x more likely to last have done washing husbands & more likely to list have washed car. Found men mostly do female tasks because the woman isn't around, though their attitude is slightly less expectant.
• The symmetrical family: Young & Willmott (1972)


  • A march of progress view, the family is gradually improving for members turning more equal and egalitarian. Argue there's a long-term move from separate roles, and closer to joint roles where husband's and wife's role are similar. Women go out to work, even if it's part-time. Man now help with housework/childcare. Couples spend leisure time together.
• The rise of the symmetrical family is from 19th century changes like changes in women's position (married women going to work), geographical mobility, new technology (labour-saving devices), and higher living standards.