Using material from item 2B and elsewhere, assess the view that gender roles and relationships have become more equal in modern life (24 marks) There are a variety of sociologists that have different views about whether they think gender roles and relationships have become more equal in modern family life. A few are mentioned in item 2B, for example Gershuny. Jonathan Gershuny discovered that even women in part time work performed more housework over all, and couples whose parents had a more equal relationship were more likely to share housework more equally between themselves. He acknowledges the fact that women are now working full-time and argues that social values are gradually adapting to this. He also mentions that even though men are now performing more housework, they still tend to take responsibility for different tasks, for example pet care, gardening and DIY work.
They believe this as women now go out to work, despite the fact it may only be part-time, its far more than it used to be. Additionally, men now help with housework and childcare. From their studies in London, they found that the symmetrical family was more common among younger couples who were geographically and socially isolated e.g. the young couples who moved away to Bethnal Green and were living at a distance from the extended family were more likely to have a symmetrical relationship. They see the rise in the symmetrical family as a result of major social changes in the past century; changes in women position, including married women going out to work, geographical mobility, more couples living away from the communities in which they grew up.
Assess the view that families in our society can no longer be described as patriarchal? For the most part of human civilisation families were always considered as being male dominated or patriarchal. However, from the mid 1950’s families have slowly become more women orientated. Some sociologists argue that now women have more power in the home and as they have become more equal to men in society they also have a lot more power in the marriage and the way the household operates. Sociologists say that modern day families are no longer dominated as they were last century and before.
Value of wages have risen and more wives are working in paid employment, therefore are possibly seen as on the same level as the husband. Family allowances and sickness and unemployment benefits have reduced the extent of poverty which may lift the burden and create less stress. Reduction in family size from 5-6 children to under two, which creates less work for parents in looking after the children. Dunne criticises the belief that there is equality amongst heterosexual couples as she claims heterosexual couples base their relationships heavily on gender scripts which are essentially the typical expectations which males and females usually conform to. She contrasts the marriage of a heterosexual couple to that of a lesbian couple where gender scripts
At that time, women were socialized to attend exclusively to home and family tasks. Gradually they were allowed access into “men-duties.” Thirty years ago, men used to be regarded superior, so men were more important and valuable in the society than women. For centuries, men were allowed to play more sports that women were not; such as football, tennis, among many others. However, women have shown that in spite of the fact that they may be physically weaker, they can do the same sports and jobs that men do. Nowadays, men and women have the same rights; they have the possibility to vote, the opportunity of choosing a career as well as the chance of working.
Feminist views of the family revolve around and understanding of the term patriarchy, which means make domination. Feminists agree that men tend to have a superior position in society and that women suffer oppression because of this. Many feminists argue that the family is a corner stone of this oppression and as such needs careful analysis. Liberal feminists believe that the fanily is gradually becoming less oppressive for women, they cite the move of many families towards more symmetrical roles where men take more part in the domestic roles so that women are no longer burdened by the mundane, repetitive, low status work of cleaning, laundry and childcare work which makes their position in society less powerful than mens. However, radical feminists disagree.
The older couple that was observed showed the common construction of a relationship in which the women was the household caretaker and the men took care of the “manly” things. Although there is a division of labor in human affairs between the sexes, there are changing social expectations, which are reflected in somewhat different gender roles at different time (Neuman, M.D, 2013). Through the observation I realized that both men and women no longer have specific “roles” it is now a whoever can get it done should get it done type of attitude. With this new attitude women can now by financially responsible for the family such as the case with the younger couple I observed. Many of the things that the older couple exhibited was frowned upon by the younger couple.
In Item A, it states that many sociologists today argue that family roles and relationships are gradually becoming more and more equal. Functionalist Young and Willmott claim that the family is now symmetrical. Its steadily replacing the old the old segregated pattern of segregated conjural roles, similar to Parsons functionalist idea. They believe in the “March of Progress” and that there is a long term trend towards joint conjural roles, where woman work (although mostly part time) and men help with the housework and childcare. According to Parsons, husbands are the breadwinners and the wife has the nurtring and caring role and that this is based on biological differences between the sexes, a view shared by the New Right.
Assess the extent to which ‘Husbands and Wives now have a relationship based on equality’ Willmott and Young were March of Progress Theorists. They believe that the family is slowly developing and becoming more equal. They argue that the family now consists of joint conjugal roles and the ‘symmetrical family’ rather than segregated conjugal roles. Segregated conjugal roles were said to be more common for working class extended families in the early industrial times. Segregated conjugal roles were when the couple had separate roles; the male was the breadwinner and the female was the caregiver.
In some parts of the world, people focus more on education and their careers and prefer to marry late. A lot of people would like to get married and want to have their children and their houses. The first difference in marrying late or marrying early is maturity. People who get married at older ages have usually matured and seem to feel more responsible. The fact that, while these people argue those issues they can think healthy.