Are Conjugal roles still in the twenty first century, separated by gender"

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“Are Conjugal roles still in the twenty first century, separated by gender”

Hypothesis/Aim – 87 words

My investigation will be based on family relationships; more specifically why conjugal roles in the twenty first century are most frequently governed by gender.

I have been raised in a society, where the majority of domestic tasks, are automatically assumed to be ‘women’s work’.

Families are changing – single parents, reconstituted families and homosexual relationships.  Man is no longer the breadwinner; sex discrimination in working environments is unlawful.  Even so, dust on the computer will wait for a ‘woman’s touch’.  I aim to find out why this is.

Context and Concepts – 402 words

My first concept is conjugal roles; Young and Willmott (1973) claimed the roles of husband and wife were becoming increasingly similar.  In 1974, Anne Oakley argued there was still a clear division along gender lines.

Young and Willmott’s research announced the arrival of the “Symmetrical Family” where roles of husband and wife are similar.  They based their research on historical evidence, plus work from earlier studies.  Family life was changing; roles in society were altering, particularly in the home.  Families have moved towards symmetry, between the roles of male and female in home life.

Their surveys found women were taking paid employment outside the home and there was an increase in the amount of “domestic labour” performed by males – 72% of husbands help in the house, however only one task per week was necessary to qualify.

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In contrast, Anne Oakley claimed that conjugal roles were not altering significantly.  After interviewing forty women, with young children, they saw their responsibilities as housework and childcare, receiving little help from husbands.  This illustrated a clear partition of labour, along gender lines.  Oakley dismissed Young and Willmott’s theory, as it was hardly persuasive evidence of ‘male domestication’

My second concept is conjugal roles, twenty and thirty years later.  Research by Fiona Devine (1992) and Allan & Crow (2001) shows increased contributions by men in domestic tasks, however not significant contributions.  This research, presents that most women still become ...

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