Key concepts in conjugal roles

Conjugal roles describe the positions and responsibilities that partners take on within marriages and families.

Segregated conjugal roles

Segregated conjugal roles involve a traditional division of domestic labour based on traditional gender norms.

Characteristics of segregated conjugal roles:

• Men's roles - Typically seen as breadwinners and heads of the household.
• Women's roles - Primarily responsible for housework and childcare.
• Separation - Partners often have distinct and separate roles both in the family and in their leisure time.

Joint conjugal roles

Joint conjugal roles represent marital relationships in which partners share domestic labour. This shift was observed from the 1950s onwards, particularly in middle-class families.

Features of joint conjugal roles:

• Shared responsibilities - Both partners contribute to housework, childcare, and leisure time, fostering interdependence.
• Influencing factors - Geographical mobility reduced reliance on extended kin, encouraging couples to support each other more directly.

Symmetrical families

Symmetrical families, as described by Young and Willmott, are where the domestic and paid work roles of husbands and wives become more alike.

Key features and supporting research:

• Key features - Partners have comparable contributions to household tasks and employment.
• Supporting study: Young and Willmott (1973) - In their research on nuclear families, they argued that symmetrical arrangements were becoming the norm, making marriages more egalitarian.

Functionalist perspectives on gender roles in families

Functionalism sees men and women in families as equal but different, with gender roles within families fulfilling different but vital functions for social stability.

Parsons' theory of instrumental and expressive roles

Talcott Parsons argued that men and women are suited to specific roles.

The two types of leadership roles:

• Instrumental leaders (typically men) - Best suited to the role of breadwinner.
• Expressive leaders (typically women) - Best suited to an emotional role as nurturers, responsible for primary socialisation and stabilising their husband's personality.

Evolution from segregated to joint roles

Functionalists observed changes in conjugal roles during the mid-20th century, particularly in middle-class families.

Changes in conjugal roles:

• Historical shift - From segregated roles in the 1950s, where partners had distinct domains, to joint roles by the 1960s, driven by mobility and reduced extended family support.
• Benefits - Increased dependency between spouses, as they no longer lived close to extended kin.

Feminist perspectives on gender roles in families

Feminism challenges the idea that family roles are naturally equal or beneficial, particularly criticising Parsons' view of equal but different roles and Young and Willmott's concept of the symmetrical family.

Critiques of functionalist and symmetrical family ideas

Feminists reject notions of inherent equality in family roles, pointing to evidence of persistent imbalances.

Oakley's study (1974):

• Ann Oakley, a feminist sociologist, examined housewives and found little evidence of equality in marriage.
• Results - Only 15% of husbands participated highly in housework, rising to 25% in childcare; men viewed their involvement as 'helping' rather than equal sharing.
• Conclusions - This challenged claims of symmetrical marriages, showing women's roles remained dominant in the home.

Radical feminist views on patriarchy

Radical feminists see family gender roles as a reflection of broader patriarchal control.

Key arguments and criticisms:

• Patriarchal dominance - They argue that patriarchal ideas dominate all aspects of British culture.
• Criticisms - These views are criticised for often failing to explain why women's roles vary across different cultures and why the mother-housewife role does not exist in all societies.

Marxist feminist perspectives on gender roles in families

Marxist feminism argues that women's domestic roles serve capitalist interests by providing unpaid labour that supports the economy.

Domestic labour and capitalism

Marxist feminists argue that women's work in the home reproduces the workforce without cost to employers.

How women's roles serve capitalism:

• Role of women - They act as breeders, housewives, and consumers, maintaining the present workforce and reproducing future labour power.
• Key theorists: Cox and Federici - They claim capitalism assigns women these roles to sustain production, turning homes into extensions of factories.

Evidence of economic value

Supporting data shows the significant but unrecognised contribution of women's unpaid work.

Statistical evidence and policy implications:

• ONS estimate (2016) - The Office for National Statistics (ONS) valued unpaid domestic tasks, mainly done by women, at more than £1.01 trillion annually, equivalent to about 56% of the UK's gross domestic product (GDP).
• Policy implication - Marxist feminists advocate for state wages for housework and childcare to recognise this labour's value.