The Arguments For and Against the Idea that There Is a Move Toward a More Equal Division of Labour Within the Home

The Arguments For and Against the Idea that There Is a Move Toward a More Equal Division of Labour Within the Home

In today’s modern society there is a debate on going about whether or

not that there is a move towards a more equal division of labour

within the home and family.

Sociologists are interested in many different aspects of family life.

Firstly, are husbands and wives today equal? In the past, men

dominated both the family and society at large. However, in recent

years, there have been important moves towards equality, such as laws

against sex discrimination and many more women going out to work.

There is also the interest in how far there have been similar changes

in the family. For example, do men do their fair share of the

housework and childcare and do both spouses have an equal say in

decision making? This is what I am going to evaluate.

To begin with, the domestic division of labour refers to the roles

that men and women play in relation to housework, childcare and paid

work. The idea of a move towards a more equal division of labour

simply means that both males and females do equal amounts of

housework, childcare and paid work (joint conjugal roles).

Parsons, a functionalist, would argue that there should not be an

equal division of labour within the home. He believes that the roles

should be segregated and that women should play the expressive role

and males the breadwinning role in order for society not to decay. He

argues that the division of labour is based on biological differences,

with women being “naturally” suited to the nurturing role and men to

that of provider. Many New Right conservative th...

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... “double shift” or the dominance of males as feminists argue.

If we were to adopt a postmodernism position, we would assert that

traditional concepts such as ‘the family’ or ‘the symmetrical family

are redundant. A sociologist called Stacey uses the term ‘post modern

family’ to signal the contrasted, ambivalent and undecided character

of contemporary gender and kinship arrangements.

It is no longer appropriate to use blanket concepts to describe sets

of relationships which are inevitable fragile, based as they are upon

the voluntary commitment of couples.

I believe that what is needed is a new sociology which examines the

rich variety of family lives, relationships and identity; which

encompasses an understanding of intimacy and emotion rather than

simply producing a sterile analysis of roles and structures.