The researcher has established their conclusions by using this source and produced primary data. The researcher has carried out the questionnaire on a small scale asking 10 cohabiting couples that were friends or parents of friends. It was compiled using questions to gather information on their input roles inside the household, and the time spent fulfilling these roles.
As the researcher states in the report this was a quick and cheap option as they were on a limited time scale. Out of the 10 couples used 5 had the females permanently at home while the other 5 female partners worked full time. This was to see if the males in the home shared any more domestic duties as their partners worked the same hours.
The questionnaire is made up of closed questions to make it easier for the researcher to turn the information into numerical data. The researcher shows how by using a questionnaire that they are using a form that is confidential and do not require any form of identity such as name or age, as there is an ethical issue in the research. The title of the questionnaire gives a clear idea of what the exact research is about, helping those taking part. The researcher collates the findings in graphs and a table. It gives a clear reading of the results.
The researcher would have had to look at what method would give the best validity and reliability. A questionnaire would give the researcher good reliability.
Critical Analysis of Theoretical Context
The researcher does not state the theoretical context approached in this study therefore i am unable to analyse it. I believe that unintentionally the feminist theory was used; if this is the case then this could have been a biased view from the start. When starting on the feminist theory your initial thought is of the stereotypical roles of the male and female sex.
Critical Analysis of Methodological Approach and Methods Used
As we have seen, the researcher has used the Positivists approach, using a questionnaire to gain quantifiable data. This data is then presented in table format with some calculations showing different ratios making the results easier to compare. The table used by the researcher is not very clear, it is very cluttered and the figures are quiet confusing, a better and more structured table would aid in the reading of the results. Using ratios such as ‘time spent on domestic tasks’, the researcher has clearly identified areas that are relevant to the study.
The questionnaire used by the researcher is very easy to understand, the questions are clear and concise. He has also been able to ensure the strictest confidence as name and address have not been recorded. Unfortunately, question d is not very relevant and is open to interpretation. Its irrelevance is evident as none of the answers to this question appear in the results. To answer the question also depends on personal opinion, what one person believes is occasional another person may believe is regular. This kind of question should be avoided to ensure results are as accurate as possible. I believe that the inclusion of question d was used to maybe highlight the division of labour in the home. Although he hasn’t used the results it could be used to highlight what tasks each partner undertakes the most.
For this type of study, quantifiable data is essential; it can clearly display results with little ambiguity. Questionnaires make it easier to do this, with every question requiring a quantitative answer. Having quantitative answers allow for very quick and easy transposition from questionnaire to result table. Questionnaires are also easy and cheap to produce and the subject can complete it as and when they can. That said, given more time I believe the researcher would have been better using an unstructured interview. I believe that the questionnaire S. Bond sent out was far too structured and gave no room for gathering more information and giving even clearer results. Any confusion on the questions would have been immediately cleared up making sure the data received was accurate.
Another problem with this study is the small scale and very limited variety of couples used. As the researcher says, all of the couples are very well off in monetary terms; if he could have sampled a wider spectrum of class his results could have been more comprehensive. He also doesn’t relate to the kind of work done by the person. Is the job very labour intensive, if so does that affect the results? There are many more factors that can affect the results that have been excluded, does the person take work home or do they carry out other unidentified tasks such as clean the car? Also in the modern home there is such a thing now as a house husband. Would the results from a wife who worked but her husband didn’t resemble those from this study?
Main Findings of the Study
Below I have included the tables and ratios that were displayed in the study. As we can see, when both partners work the division of labour is not equal. There is a small increase in time spent on domestic tasks by the male but not enough to show that there is an equal share of tasks in the home. There is only a 2.4% increase in the amount of time a husband spends on domestic tasks if his wife works. This then supports the argument that there is an unequal share in the upkeep of the house hold.
Ratio of time spent on domestic tasks wives/husbands = 4.8 : 1
Ratio of time spent at home wives/husbands = 1.3 : 1
Percentage of time spent on domestic tasks: Wives = 16%
Husbands = 4.5%
Ratio of time spent on domestic tasks wives/husbands = 2.1 : 1
Ratio of time spent at home wives/husbands = 0.9 : 1
Percentage of time spent on domestic tasks:
Wives = 15.3%
Husbands = 6.9%
Critical Analysis of the Overall Findings of the Research
I agree that from the research carried out and methods that have been used it confirms that women do most of the domestic chores in the home, even if they work as many hours (sometimes more) than their male companions. I think this is something that is stereotypical and no matter how much time passes with women going to work, house work will always be seen as women’s work. As I have mentioned I do not believe the structured questionnaire used was the best method used and that some of the questions were misleading, leaving the answers open to interpretation. More open questions would have made for much clearer findings and through interview conditions the researcher would have been able to clarify any problems. I would have omitted this option to hopefully have a clearer response from the respondents. However the researcher did take note of this problem in their evaluation.
The researcher only conducted their research on a very small scale. An opportunity sample was used and all from the researchers friends and parents of friends. To get a more generalised result from a wider population the researcher could have either visited other homes or conducted an unstructured interview with those people chosen. Meaning this research could not be confirmed as being general to the wider population. As mentioned earlier the researcher had very limited time to complete this research.
As this researcher S. Bond concludes, this research and findings are reliable. However the validity of this research is questionable as the questionnaire can cause some weaknesses. The questions may not be answered truthfully especially as the questionnaire is anonymous some respondents may just use guess work when answering without realising the effects this could have on the results. They may not entirely understand a question or interpret it differently to the researchers meaning therefore they may give an incorrect answer. Quantitative data is probably not the best form for validity, qualitative data is argued to be better data for validity.
Questions like; 1,d How often do you perform the following tasks? (please tick)
Male response
Female response
I believe the results here to be completely unrealistic. How much D.I.Y. needs doing in the average home per week? Plus for a full time working mother doing everything else in the home is virtually impossible. I believe that in this day and age the woman would have either had a nervous breakdown or thrown her partner out for being lazy!
Conclusion
This research is very interesting and highlights that the roles in the home are changing slowly but the traditional roles of domesticity are still evident. It is interesting to see the views of the couples interviewed but I would have liked to hear more about their situations and also how they feel with the way things are right now. Before reading the research I had my opinion of what the study would conclude and it confirmed my opinions.
If it was feasible, further research from a much wider range of couples from different social backgrounds, same sex couples and class differences would have made for much more competent results. This research has achieved what it set out to do and that is to see if Husbands contribute more to domestic tasks when their wives are working. It concludes that the research is still valid today as like I have said the domestic roles in the home still manage to fall upon the females, after all a woman’s work is never done!
Bibliography
Taylor, P. Richardson, J. Yeo, A. Marsh, I. Trobe, K. Pilkington, A. (2004) Sociology in Focus. Causeway Press, Bath.
Class handouts. 2007,2008
S. Bond, “Do Husbands contribute more to domestic tasks when their wives are working?”
