Men also no help with housework and childcare, also couple now spend their leisure time together instead of separately with workmates or female relatives. They are more home-centred or privatised. Young and Willmott found that the symmetrical family was more common among younger couples, those who are geographically and socially isolated, and the more affluent. Young and Willmott then give several reasons for the development of the symmetrical family; Living standards have improved and possibly less housework is needed to be done in keeping the house a healthy environment. 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.
They say that family is vital for 4 things in society: the regulation of sexual activity, reproducing and raising children, educating or socialising society’s way of life to the younger members and being an economic unit with clear divisions of labour between genders. With the decline in the nuclear family, they will believe that these four functions will diminish and society will not function in an adequate way. Where liberal feminists would not be happy about the decline in nuclear families as they believe that increasing equality exists between men and women, radical and Marxist feminists would think that it is a good thing. Radical feminists argue that men benefit much greater than women within the family environment. They say that gender roles which are allocated within a family are accepted by the women, which then goes on to disadvantage them in later life when it comes to things such as employment.
Michael Young and Peter Willmott (1962) argue that men are now taking a greater share of domestic tasks and more wives are becoming wage earners. Feminist’s sociologists reject Parsons’ view that the division of labour is natural. They argue it only benefits men. Elizabeth Bott (1957) distinguishes two roles, segregated conjugal roles and joint conjugal roles. Segregated conjugal roles where the couple have separate roles where a male is the breadwinner and a female is the homemaker/carer, as in Parsons’ instrumental and expressive roles.
She points out that women depend on men for survival and that is only seen in the human species. Her whole argument is based on the female economic dependence on the male. Gilman notes that males direct the activities associated with the female role. The author explains that by a woman having a man economically involved she is then forced to pay back the debt to the man with domestic service. According to Gilman, the result is the traditional role of mother, which then is passed on to her children.
Key Assignment: Family Diversity Ujjol Rahman 1. The term 'neo-conventional' describes the type of nuclear family described by The New Right party and Talcott Parsons with its separation between the male breadwinner and the female housewife/homemaker 2. The difference between expressive and instrumental roles is that; The man/husband of the house has the instrumental role where he is responsible for achieving success at work and gaining income in order to provide for the family financially. The expressive role however is based on the female/wife of the house who's responsible for meeting the families emotional needs and socialization of the children. She is a full time housewife, rather than a source of income.
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.
Segregated conjugal roles were when the couple had separate roles; the male was the breadwinner and the female was the caregiver. Joint conjugal roles is said to be the more modern role, it is where the couple share tasks such as housework and childcare and spend their leisure time together so the family is now symmetrical. The family is more symmetrical because the roles of the husband and wife are similar as more women are now working and more men are helping out with housework and childcare. Willmott and Young believe the family is isolated from kin/extended family and that they are more privatised as they tend to keep to themselves more. They believe the family has also become more home centred as they have stopped being as work centred.
The sons must also prove themselves worthy to carry on the family name and inherit the land. Much different than the sons, the daughter’s main function is to be sold by their fathers to be brides. The fathers typically favor the sons over the daughters. The husband’s role in the family is the most important role in the Ibo society. The husband has multiple wives in order to determine their social status.
They are seen as being more connected to children. Therefore, society often confines women to a domestic familial role, freeing up the men to pursue more “cultural” endeavors like art or religion. Children themselves are viewed as primitive humans, not yet civilized by the affects of culture. As women are the ones who raise children, transforming them into sophisticated adults, Ortner contends that women are thus seen as only an intermediary between nature and culture. Psychologically, women are more emotional and sentimental than men, making men more inclined to more abstract, “cultures” thought, while women’s thoughts tend to be more connected to other people.
Thus being a family that share male and female roles. For example a woman will go to work just like the man will, and a man will take care of the children and so will the woman. They claimed that conjugal roles - these are marital roles played by the husband and the wife - have become increasingly similar. They can be segregated meaning they perform different roles and spend leisure time separately. Or Joint where they each perform both roles and spend leisure time together.