However, functionalists believe in the nuclear family, parents and children, and anything outside of that family are dysfunctional, for example, single parent families, gay couples. In the traditional nuclear families, the roles of husbands and wives are segregated. Parsons’ functionalist model of the family sees a clear division of labour between spouses.
The husband has an instrumental role heading towards achieving success at work so he can financially provide for his family.
However, the wife has an expressive role leading towards primary socialisation with their children and meeting the family’s emotional needs. She is a full-time housewife rather than a wage earner.
Young and Willmott argue that men are now taking a greater share of domestic tasks and more women are becoming wage earners.
Feminist sociologists reject Parsons’ view and argue it only benefits men.
Elizabeth Bott distinguished two types of conjugal roles within marriage. Segregated conjugal roles means the couple have separate roles, the male being the male being the breadwinner and the female being a home maker. Their leisure activities are usually spent separately. Joint conjugal roles are when the couple share tasks such as housework and childcare and their leisure activities are usually spent together.
Segregated conjugal roles benefit the husbands more whereas joint conjugal roles benefit the wives more. In the 1950’s many households would consist of segregated conjugal roles between couples, but in today’s society households are seen to have more joint conjugal roles between the couples.
Although it seems men benefit more from marriage and family life, women also benefit from it as they are given children to look after and help bring up into the society. Women have a stronger bond than men when it comes to children as they would have spent a lot of time with them and would be emotionally healthier. Men would have a weaker bond with their children than women as they spend most of their time at work to financially provide for his family. Mary Boulton found fewer than 20% of husbands had a major role in childcare. She argues that Young and Willmott exaggerate men’s contribution by looking at the tasks involved and not the responsibilities. Men do many specific tasks, but it’s the mother whom takes the responsibility and well-being of the child.
Men also benefit more from marriage and family life when domestic violence is used. Men think they can abuse theirs wives to get the needs they want, or to gain control and power of their relationship. Men manipulate women into believing it’s their fault this is happening and for them to stay in the relationship for fear of the wives family members. Two women in the UK every week are killed by their partner, one in four will be abused whilst one in eight will be continually abused. One woman was abused for six years by her husband. He used to beat her every other day and lock her in the house for hours. He received six life sentences for his actions.
Police will now intervene against domestic violence, whereas in the 1950’s they wouldn’t respond to any calls of domestic violence because the woman was seen to be the man’s property and their family life was private.
Dobash and Dobash researched in Scotland, based on police and court records and interviews with women in women’s refuges. They mentioned being slapped, kicked, raped or killed by their partners. Dobash and Dobash found that violent incidents could occur by what a husband sees as a challenge to his authority such as his wife asking why he was late home for a meal.
In conclusion, I believe men do benefit more from marriage and family life than women. Men are seen as breadwinners and gain control and power from marriage and family life. Wives are seen as a weak housewife in which belongs to their husband. Women would never have as many benefits to marriage and family life than men do now in a patriarcle society.
