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Are Couples Becoming more equal - Coggle Diagram
Are Couples Becoming more equal
The Impact of Paid Work
many wives now go out and work but does this mean there is more equal division of labour with the 'new man' helping around the house
Or does it just mean that women have a double burden of domestic work as well as paid work
The March of Progress View
Optimistic approach that as women go out to work this leads to a more equal division of labour at home
Sullivans (2000) anayliss of nationally representative data collected in 1975, 1987 and 1997 have showed women doing less domestic work overtime and men doing more
A feminist View
There is still little evidence of the 'new man' and women end up taking on a dual burden
In the British Attitudes survey it shows that women did twice as much domestic work and childcare than men
There is not enough of a shift to prove that couples are becoming more equal
Taking responsibility for children
Boulton (1983) - men will help with some of the childcare but security and well-being is still the mothers responsibility
Ferri and Smith (1996) found that fathers took responsibility for childcare in fewer than 4% of families
Dex and Ward (2007) found that although fathers had a high involvement with their 3 year old (78% played with their children) 1% of fathers took the main responsibility of caring for the child when sick
Explaining the gender division of labour: Crompton and Lyonette
The cultural or ideological explanation of inequality: in this view the division of labour is determined by patriarchal norms and values that shape gender roles in our culture
Women perform domestic labour because that's what society expects and socializes them for
The material or economic explanation of inequality: In this view, the fact that women earn less means it is economically rational for them to do the domestic work so men can spend more time making money
Evidence for the Cultural explanation
Man Yee Kan (2001) found that most men claimed to do more housework than their father and women claimed to do less than their mother. Shows generational shift in behaviour
Evidence for the material explanation
Kan found that for every £1000 more a woman earns a year, she does two hours less house work per week.
Arber and Ginn (1995) found that better paid, middle-class women were more able to buy domestic help and childcare rather than having to carry out domestic tasks themselves
In 7/8 households men earn more than the woman