For AQA GCE Sociology Unit 1 Chapter 1 Revision. Print out as a handout, it is a good way to revision: associating the picture with the title allows you to fill in the info by your own associations. Application, Interpretation and Analysis tips are also included. All derived from the AS Sociology Revision Guide. Good luck!!!

1. Unit 1: Families and Households
1) Couples
Haleema Begum
Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls Sixth form

2. Interpretation
• Is the question about a particular form of
inequality (e.g. domestic labour)? If yes, then
stick to this.
• Or is it about inequality more generally? If
yes, then (cover all sections) i.e. decision
making, resources and domestic violence aswell.

3. The domestic division of labour

4. Parsons (1955)
• Take a Functionalists view
• A couple should have
separate (marital
roles), women:
expressive, whilst men
have: instrumental roles
• It is better for wider
society
• Biologically based gender
division of labour is the
best way of organising
family life.

5. Young & Willmott (1962)
• They studied working-class extended
families in Bethnal Green
• Men were the breadwinners and women
were the home-makers.
• They see a long-term trend towards the
“symmetrical family”.
• Roles are becoming more similar
• Most women go out to work
• Men help with housework, the “new
man”

6. Why is there a rise of the
“symmetrical family”?
• There are smaller family sizes
• More women are starting to work
• Therefore a higher standard of
living and better housing (the
house becomes home-centred)
• Can afford labour saving devices

7. Ann Oakley (1974)
• The family is patriarchal
• They are not
symmetrical or equal!!
• The housewife role is
socially constructed
(not BIOLOGICALLY
NATURAL)

8. cont. Ann Oakley (1974)
• There is no evidence of symmetry in
domestic labour
• Young + Willmott exaggerate the “new man”
!!!
• Husbands “helped” was ironing their own
shirt once a week

9. Boulton (1983)
• We need to look at who is
responsible for tasks, NOT
just who performs it
• Wife is seen responsible
for children’s welfare, even
when men “help”
• Less than one in five
husbands took a major
part in childcare

10. The impact of women working

11. Gurshuny (1994)
• Men whose wives worked full-time did started to do
more work than before (despite going up to only 27%)
• But domestic tasks are still sex-typed
• There is a change in values and role-models or “lagged
adaption” resulting in gradually women working fulltime
• (Crompton): argues changes are because of ECONOMIC
factors not values.
• Women’s increasing earning power means men have to
do more in the home
• But men still earn more, so the division of labour is still
unequal

12. Schor (1993)
• The “commercialisation of
housework” has led to the
DEATH of the housewife role!! –
but only for the better off
• Couples can now buy and invest
in ready meals, nurseries, etc
therefore cuts the amount of
domestic labour
• (HOWEVER): not all couples are
in the same economic positionclass and income play a role in
the domestic division of labour

13. Ferry and Smith (1996)
• They found that women
who were carrying duel
burden had little impact on
the D.O.L
• Under 4% of fathers were
the main child-carer

14. Morris (1990)
• Morris (1990) found that even when the wife
was working and the husband was
unemployed, she still did most of the
housework!!
• Men suffered the crisis of MASCULINITY
• Losing their breadwinner role, they did not
want to give in to the feminine domestic role

15. Duncombe and Marsden (1995)
• Found that women
required Triple Shift
• Emotional work
• Domestic labour
• Paid work

16. Gillian Dunne (1999)
• She studied 37 lesbian couples finding a more
equal D.O.L
• She says heterosexual relationships are
“inevitably patriarchal”
• They have allocate the masculine and feminine
identities (GENDER SCRIPTED)
• Lesbians were more open to negitiation
• (HOWEVER): She found that when one partner
did ... More paid work less domestic work
• i.e paid work was still an important influence

17. Resources and decision making

18. Kempson (1994)
• Women in low-income families
denied their own need- to
make ends meet
• Even households with
adequate incomes, resources
are often shared unequally 
leaving women in poverty
• The man is usually in control
of the family’s income and
deciding how to spend it
• This leads to unequal shares
and resources for the wife

19. Pahl and Vogler (1993)
The allowance system:
• The allowance system is
when the men work and
give their non-working
wives an allowance to
budget to meet the family’s
needs.
Pooling:
• Pooling is where both
partners work  having
joint responsibility for
spending i.e. Having a joint
bank account
 Despite the massive increase in pooling over the recent
years, Vogler (1994) found out that men still make the major
decisions, reflecting their greater earnings

20. Edgell (1980)
1) Economic
• Men earn more  have more
power
• Women are economically
dependent  have less say
2) Patriarchal socialisation
• Some Feminists argue that
gender role socialisation in
patriarchal society instils the
idea that men are the decisionmakers

21. Domestic violence

22. British Crime Survey (BCS)
• There are 6.6 million assaults per year (mainly
men against women)
• Nearly 1 in 4 women were assaulted by her
partner at some time
• 1 in 3 of assaults are reported

23. Police statistics
• Police statistics under-estimate its extent because
of
• Under- reporting: (BCS) say 1 in 3 assaults are
reported
• Under-recording: police are reluctant/unwilling
to investigate, record or get involved with the
family’s “private sphere”
• Victim should just leave if unhappy
(HOWEVER): many women are financially
dependent on their partners and cannot leave
their children

24. Dobash and Dobash
• Found out that violence
was triggered when
husbands felt their
authority was being
challenged
• They conclude that
marriage legitimates
violence by giving power
to men
Elliot (1996) argues not
all men benefit from it

25. The Radical Feminist Explanation
• It is patriarchy- male domination
• Men oppress women through the family 
domestic labour + sexual services
• Violence or the threat of it allows them to get
what they want
• Men dominate the state  police and courts fail
to take domestic violence seriously
 Radical Feminists fail to explain violence against
children, men, or lesbians
Discuss D.V as well as housework

26. Domestic violence and inequality

27. Wilkinson (1996)
• Families who lack
resources i.e. Low
income, poor housing, suffer more stress, this
increases violence
• Lack of resources: stress 
social inequality
 HOWEVER: He doesn’t
explain why women rather
than men are the main
victims