4.2: How Are Family Roles Changing Notes:

Conjugal Roles:

They're roles played by partners in a marriage/cohabiting. These roles can either be joint (interchangeable and share roles) or segregated (like Talcott Parson's idea of instrumental and expressive role - men work while women take care of the house respectively)

Functionalist View:

• They believe that there is an arrangement with 2 clearly separate roles that keep society harmonious - the man is instrumental (provider) and the woman is expressive (caring/emotional)

• The division is seen as natural

• Warm Bath Theory (by Talcott Parsons) says that the family acts like a warm bath for its members, especially the man (breadwinner).

Idea:

• After a stressful day at work, the man comes home.

• The family (especially the wife) provides comfort, care, and relaxation — like sinking into a warm bath.

• This calms him down and relieves his stress.

• As a result, he can return to work the next day refreshed and ready to be productive.
  
  

Why it's important (in Parsons’ view):

• Keeps workers happy and society stable.

• Reinforces traditional gender roles (man = worker, woman = caregiver).
  
  

Criticism:

• Feminists argue it makes women responsible for men’s comfort.

• Ignores women's stress and unequal roles at home.

Young and Willmott: Symmetrical family

• Families where both the man and the woman share instrumental and expressive roles so their roles are more equal

• Claimed working-class families in UK were becoming more symmetrical.

• Characteristics:

  • Shared decision-making

  • Joint leisure - becoming dual worker families

  • Shared domestic work

• Criticisms of the symmetrical family

  • Feminists: women's roles still unequal.

  • Ann Oakley:

    1. Disagreed with Young & Willmott.

    2. Found women still did most housework and childcare.

Female domestic work is not usually given the same level of importance or appreciation as men going out and working to gain money

Maternal Roles:

There are clear expectations of what mothers should be like (mainly devoting themselves to their children while taking care of their husband) and they vary from culture to culture

Traditional roles

• Mothers:

  • Main carers for children

  • Responsible for housework
    
    

• Fathers:

  • Breadwinners 

  • Little involvement in childcare

Variations of the stereotypical mother in a traditional nuclear family:

1. Working mothers

2. Teenage mothers

3. Lone mothers (discussed later)

Changing roles

• Fathers are now more involved in:

  • Childcare.

  • Emotional support.

  • Domestic tasks

• Despite this:

  • Women still do most of the housework and childcare, even when employed full-time.

  • Domestic division of labour remains unequal.
    
    

Paternal Roles

Back then:

• Fathers used to be seen as the providers of the family and tasks such as feeding the baby or playing with him wasn't seen as appropriate for men

• This resulted in difficulty to achieve closeness between the father and the children

Nowadays:

• Fathers are expected to be more involved in children's lives as well as being the main provider (dual role just like women)

• Gender equality ideas became more widespread => fathers started taking on expressive role as well

Summary:

What is Meant by Childhood?

Childhood is socially constructed (meaning of childhood is created by society)

Philippe Ariès (historian)

• He claimed that childhood as we know it is a modern invention.

• In the past:

  • Children treated like small adults.

  • No special clothes or toys.

  • Worked from a young age.
    
    

• Modern childhood:

  • Seen as special, innocent, dependent.

  • Protected by laws (schooling, age limits on work).

  • Period of innocence and dependence.

  • Economically dependent on parents

  • Expected to attend school and not work.

  • Child centered society:  children have a more central place in society than they did
    
    

Variations in childhood experiences

• By class:

  • Wealthier families can provide more resources, education, activities.
    
    

• By gender:

  • Boys and girls may have different expectations and freedoms.
    
    

• By ethnicity and culture:

  • Parenting styles and child expectations vary widely.

Adult Children:

Empty nest families:

• Parents living at home together after the child moves  out

Boomerang families:

• A family in which the child moves out (usually for college) and then moves back in

• Full-nest syndrome

• Can be due to unemployment, can't afford to move out, etc

Role of Grandparents/Extended Members:

Increasing life expectancy leads to:

• Multi-generational families 

• More grandparents alive.

• Longer relationships across generations.
  
  

Roles of grandparents

• Providing childcare especially when parents both work.

• Financial support such as helping with education and housing costs.

• Emotional support and guidance.
  
  

Caring for the elderly

• As people live longer, families may need to provide care such as:

  • Emotional and moral support.

  • Economic (lending money)

  • Accommodation (living together)

  • Personal care

  • Practical support
    
    

Cultural variations

• Extended families more common in:

  • South Asia, Africa, Latin America.
    
    

• Elderly often:

  • Respected.

  • Cared for by family.
    
    

• In some Western societies:

  • Older people may live alone.

  • Risk of isolation.

Pivot generation: when parents are expected to take care of their own children as well as their parents

Changes in the Family and Conjugal Roles:

Traditional conjugal roles

Clear separation of tasks in which functionalists found ideal:

• • Husband = breadwinner (works for income)

  • Wife = homemaker (housework, childcare)

They were segregated, distinct, gender specific, little sharing of domestic work

Joint conjugal roles

• Partners share tasks such as:

  • Housework.

  • Childcare.

  • Decision-making.

  • Joint leisure activities together.
    
    

Evidence of change

• Young and Willmott’s “symmetrical family”:

  • Conjugal roles becoming more similar.

  • Especially among younger, middle-class couples.

Why are Symmetrical Families Increasing?

1. Nuclear families became more privatized so a couple organizes their life around them rather than a community

2. Less pressure due to a decline in extended families

3. Women have a higher status in society so they're treated as equals to men

4. Women have greater independence 

5. Easier for men and women to choose and negotiate their roles
   
   

Feminist critique

• Oakley:

  • Disagreed with Young and Willmott.

  • Found women still did most housework even if working.

  • Even if men take on domestic roles, they'd choose the less dull and repetitive such as preparing a meal for guests rather than the every day task of feeding the kids

  • Domestic division of labor can lead to dual/triple burden for women (paid, domestic, and emotional work)

  • Feminists claim that as long as society is patriarchal the domestic division of labor will always be unequal

Variations in Family Relationships

Social Stratification and Family Relationships:

• Willmott  and Young found that symmetrical families were more common in working class than middle class since working men had less rewarding jobs so they chose to be more involved in home life.

• Middle class spent long hours in work and found it more satisfying that house work. 

• Characteristics of middle class family:

• May be less symmetrical in practice despite both partners working.

• Higher income → option for:

  • Domestic help (cleaners, nannies).

  • Buying in childcare services.

• This means:

  • Women may still avoid equal sharing with men despite paid work.

  • Men may do less housework if they can pay someone else.

• They suggested that changes in family life started in higher statuses then worked their way down (stratified diffusion)

Ethnicity and Family Relationships:

• Ethnic minorities adapted to the British circumstances but are still influenced by their origin

1. African Carribeans have high rates if single parenthood and matrifocal families (raised by a mom)

2. South Asian have strong extended family and low rates of divorce

• When choosing a partner usually they don't choose romantic love (arranged marriages)

Negative Aspects of Family Life

• Dark side of the family include negative aspects of the family such as arguments, neglect, or violence

• Functionalist approach: families function in a specific way and something went wrong, making it a dysfunctional family

Domestic Violence:

• Violence within the family

• Can involve:

  • Physical abuse (hitting, pushing).

  • Emotional or psychological abuse (threats, insults, controlling behaviour).

  • Sexual abuse (forced sex, sexual assault).

  • Financial abuse (controlling money, preventing work).

1. Key Features:

• • Often hidden and under-reported.

  • Victims may fear:

    1. Stigma.

    2. Not being believed.

    3. Further violence if they report it.
       
       

• Can affect anyone but:

  • Women are more likely to be victims of serious or repeated domestic violence.

  • Also affects men, children, elderly people.
    
    

2. Statistics and Reporting:

• • Often hidden crime:

  • Many incidents not reported to police.

  • Victims may feel ashamed or trapped.

  • Official statistics underestimate real levels.

3. Why does domestic violence happen? (Sociological Explanations)

Patriarchal Society (Feminist View)

• They see the family as a patriarchal institution which gives men power over women.

• Domestic violence seen as:

  • Tool of control.

  • Means to maintain male dominance.

• Feminists argue society normalizes male aggression.

• Supports inequality by keeping women afraid or dependent.
  
  

Power and Control

• Abuse is not about anger or loss of control - it is about exercising control over a partner.

• Abusers use:

  1. Threats.

  2. Isolation from friends/family.

  3. Monitoring activities.
     
     

Socialization and Cultural Acceptance

• Some cultures excuse or downplay violence against partners.

• Traditional gender roles may encourage:

  • Male dominance.

  • Female submission.
    
    

Structural Factors

• Economic stress:

  • Unemployment.

  • Poverty.

  • Overcrowding.
    
    

Challenges remain:

• Under-reporting.

• Victim-blaming attitudes.

• Inconsistent police response.

Child Abuse:

• Harm done to children by adults responsible for their care.

• Can be:

  • Physical abuse: hitting, beating.

  • Emotional abuse: threats, humiliation.

  • Sexual abuse: sexual acts with children.

  • Neglect: failing to meet basic needs.

1. Key Features

• Often hidden and under-reported.

• Children may fear telling anyone.

• Can happen in any social class.
  
  

2. Impact on Children

• Physical injuries.

• Long-term psychological damage like:

  1. Anxiety.

  2. Depression.

  3. Trust issues.

  4. Problems at school

  5. Can affect future relationships.

3. Sociological Views

Functionalist View

• Family supposed to protect and socialize children.

• Child abuse is dysfunction — family not performing its role.
  
  

Feminist View

• Power imbalance in families.

• Patriarchal structures can hide abuse.

• Children, like women, have less power → vulnerable.

• Family not always safe haven.
  
  

Marxist View

• Linked to wider inequalities.

• Poverty, stress can increase risk (but not excuse it).

• Capitalism → families under pressure.
  
  

4. Important People / Concepts

• Radford et al. (2011):

  • Large UK study → found abuse is more common than official stats suggest.

  • Many victims never tell anyone.

5. State and Social Responses

• Laws making abuse a crime.

• Social services investigate reports.

• Child protection plans.

• Campaigns to raise awareness.

• Still challenges:

  • Under-reporting.

  • Difficult to prove.

NOTES DONE BY FARIDA SABET

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