Young and Wilmot found that women and men had roughly the same working hours on average. Before the 1930’s women would never have worked meaning that families were more patriarchal because the male was the main breadwinner and supported his wife, his wife could never have survived without her husband so separation was very uncommon. These days however as Wilmot and Young showed women work the same amount of time as men and can financially support themselves out of the relationship which means they would not put up with most of the things women in the 30’s would have done. This makes the family is less male dominated because women can threaten to leave their partner if they are not respected or consulted with decisions. Women also gain more power and respect in the family because they are providing half the income which means it is their money being spent on family matters rather than just the mans.
In 1974 Wilmot and young suggested that the family was becoming more symmetrical, in housework men were prepared to participate more than before when women did all the housework. Wilmot and Young proved this ‘new man’ had less power in the family, they were equal to their wives and prepared to help out at home which shows a partnership in the household rather than the male dominating the relationship. However other sociologists particularly feminists disagree that men share the housework, Ann Oakley in 1974 proved that few men participated in housework a lot of the time and when they may do the ironing or load the washing machine, women do more housework than men. Oakley stated that 72 percent of men who claim to do housework only share a little of the burden. This is an argument against the patriarchal no longer in existence as the males failure to participate in equal housework shows they do not respect their wives as much as some sociologists would claim, many men still see that their wives should be the ones who clean the house whereas they should make the money. Women are often judged by the cleanliness of their house as opposed to men who are never judged by friends of family because of the state of their house. Housework is still very much viewed as a woman’s role which shows that males may still dominate the family as women are still seen by many people including their husbands that they should stay at home and clean.
Childcare is also another conjugal role which is seen as a women’s role in the household. Mary Boulton was a sociologist who argued this when she said that although men take some responsibility for childcare, their wives still take, more responsibility for their children. Elsa Ferri and Kate Smith supported Boulton’s claims when they produced the national child development survey of 1996 which found out that it is rare for fathers to take major responsibility for childcare. It is also socially accepted that women will take care of their children when a marriage breaks down, this plays in to the assumption that women will take care of the children whilst the man brings the money home.
In Other cultures also living in British society men are still very much dominating the families, for instance in Muslim, Greek, Hindu cultures men are still dominating the families. This shows that the image of the new man has not changed traditional attitudes which will undoubtedly never change because their religion does not support equality within the home and children are socialised into the expectation that the man provides for his family whilst the wife cares for the home and the children.
Sociologists disagree on this issue on whether men are still dominating the household and family life. However it is shown by key figures in the media like David Beckham that men are taking a much more active role in their family by caring for their children and doing the housework. It is truer to say that women are much more equal to men but older generations still believe in traditional views like the patriarchal and they still socialise their children to think this way. However women are more independent and as they become more equal to men in society by gaining suffrage etc… they gain more power in the family also. The family is defiantly becoming less patriarchal in that men are respecting their wives more and women have more of a say in the running of the household but there are still definite views on what is seen to be men’s jobs and women’s jobs and as long as these exist the family will not become equal or more woman dominated.