Welcome to Paper 2: Family Roles and Changing Relationships
Hello Sociologists! This chapter is crucial for understanding how life inside the family has changed over time. We move beyond just the different *forms* of families (nuclear, extended, etc.) and look at the actual day-to-day experiences of the people within them.
We will focus on two core areas: Gender Equality (how roles are shared between adults) and Age (specifically the changing roles of children and grandparents). These notes are designed to be clear and straightforward, so don't worry if these concepts seem complex at first!
4.1 Gender Equality and Experiences of Family Life
The central question here is: How equal are family roles today? Sociologists look at things like who makes the decisions, who does the chores, and who provides emotional support.
Understanding Conjugal Roles
Conjugal Roles refers to the roles played by the husband and wife (or partners) within the family.
Historically, roles were often Segregated (separate):
- Male Role: Breadwinner (earns money).
- Female Role: Homemaker (housework, childcare).
In modern society, many sociologists argue roles are becoming more Joint, meaning tasks and time are shared.
The Debate: The Symmetrical Family (Young and Willmott)
Functionalist sociologists, like Young and Willmott (1973), famously argued that the family in modern industrial society was evolving towards a Symmetrical Family.
A symmetrical family is one where:
- Roles are more equal (though not necessarily identical).
- Husbands and wives share tasks like childcare and housework.
- The family is more privatised (focused on home life rather than community).
Did you know? Young and Willmott saw this change as linked to better living standards, improved technology (like washing machines), and women working outside the home.
Feminist Critiques: Is the Family Truly Equal?
Most feminists strongly reject the idea of the fully symmetrical family, arguing that women still bear the majority of the domestic burden. They use different perspectives to explain this inequality:
1. Liberal Feminism
Liberal feminists acknowledge progress towards equality but argue it is not complete. They focus on reforming the system, such as changing laws and attitudes.
- Viewpoint: Inequality is due to outdated laws and socialisation into rigid gender roles.
- Solution: Gradual change through legal rights (e.g., parental leave policies).
2. Marxist Feminism
Marxist feminists argue that the family primarily serves the needs of Capitalism, and women's inequality is a direct consequence of this economic system.
- Women reproduce the next generation of workers (unpaid labour).
- Women are a reserve army of labour (can be hired when needed, fired when not).
- Women absorb the frustration of male workers (acting as a 'safety valve').
3. Radical Feminism
Radical feminists see the family as the primary site of patriarchy (male dominance). They argue men benefit directly from women's unpaid labour and control.
- Key Idea: The root cause of inequality is men's universal desire to control women.
- Evidence: High rates of domestic violence and sexual exploitation.
- Some radicals advocate for women living separately from men.
The Reality of Domestic Labour: The 'Triple Shift'
Many sociologists argue that women today are not sharing roles equally; they are simply taking on *more* roles. This leads to the concept of the Triple Shift, coined by Duncombe and Marsden.
The Triple Shift involves women managing three crucial areas:
- Paid Work: Holding down a job (or sometimes two).
- Housework: Traditional domestic chores and childcare.
- Emotion Work: Managing the emotional well-being of the family (e.g., remembering birthdays, sorting arguments, listening to problems).
Analogy: Think of a CEO (Paid Work), a Housekeeper (Housework), and a Therapist (Emotion Work), all being performed by one person. This highlights the heavy burden on women.
Power and Decision Making
Equality isn't just about cleaning; it’s about control. Studies show that even when women earn money, men often retain control over major financial decisions (e.g., buying a house or car). This is a key indicator of continued male dominance and power in the family.
Quick Review: Gender Equality
- Y&W (Functionalist): Family is symmetrical/joint.
- Feminists (Critical): Family is still unequal.
- Key Concepts: Patriarchy, Triple Shift, Emotion Work.
4.2 Age and Family Life
Age is a crucial element of identity and experience within the family. This section looks at how the roles of children and grandparents have been constructed and how they are changing.
The Social Construction of Childhood
The concept of childhood is not fixed by biology; it is created and defined by society, culture, and law. This means the experience of being a child changes dramatically across different cultures and time periods.
Aries: Historical Changes in Childhood
Sociologist Philippe Ariès argued that in medieval Europe, there was no concept of childhood as we know it today.
- Children were seen as 'mini-adults' as soon as they were past infancy.
- They dressed like adults and often worked alongside them.
Modern Western societies, by contrast, have an *age-separated* childhood, defined by:
- Protection: Laws protecting them from exploitation (e.g., child labour laws).
- Nurturing: Focus on education, play, and emotional development.
The Changing Role and Status of Children
In the modern family, children have moved from being economic assets (working on farms) to being economic liabilities (costing parents money for clothes, education, etc.). They also now hold greater emotional significance.
- Increased Influence: Children now have significant "pester power" in consumer decisions (what car the family buys, where they go on holiday).
- Age Laws: Society strictly defines what children can and cannot do based on age (e.g., minimum age for driving, voting, drinking).
Factors Affecting Children's Experiences
Not all children have the same experience. Sociologists highlight differences based on:
1. Social Class:
- Middle-class children often benefit from more resources (cultural and material capital) and more intensive, supervised parenting (concerted cultivation).
- Working-class children may face greater poverty, material deprivation, and less supervision.
2. Gender:
- Girls often face tighter parental control and perform more domestic labour than boys, especially in certain ethnic groups.
- Boys may be given more freedom or risk-taking opportunities.
3. Ethnicity (Cross-Cultural Comparisons):
- In some Asian families, children may have more defined duties regarding looking after younger siblings or older relatives.
- In certain developing societies, children still contribute vital economic labour to the family unit, contrasting sharply with protected Western childhoods.
The Role of Grandparents and Changing Life Expectancy
Thanks to better health care and living standards, people are living much longer. This demographic change has dramatically increased the role and social position of grandparents in the family.
- Increased Life Expectancy: Means grandparents are often alive and healthy for decades after their children start families.
- Caregivers: They often provide vital, flexible childcare, especially crucial for dual-earner families or lone-parent families. This is called the 'Family Safety Net'.
- Cross-Cultural Difference: In some cultures (especially traditional extended families), grandparents, particularly grandmothers, play a more formal, authoritative role in raising children than in Western nuclear families.
Changes in Motherhood and Fatherhood
Expectations surrounding parenting have evolved significantly.
Motherhood
The concept of the 'perfect mother' is often scrutinised by sociologists. Traditional motherhood involved being the primary caregiver and emotional provider. However, modern expectations often involve being a mother, a career woman, and a housekeeper—contributing to the 'triple shift' discussed earlier.
Fatherhood
Historically, fatherhood was associated purely with the instrumental role (earning money). Today, there is a push towards the 'New Man' or the 'Involved Father'.
- Fathers are expected to be more emotionally and physically involved in childcare.
- Sociologists debate whether this shift is real (dads taking on chores) or merely symbolic (performing 'token' tasks, like playing briefly with children, while mothers handle the daily routine).
Quick Review: Age and Family Life
- Childhood: Is socially constructed (Ariès).
- Children's Experience: Varies based on class, gender, and ethnicity.
- Grandparents: Increased role due to longer life expectancy and childcare needs.
- Fatherhood: Shift toward the 'Involved Father' (debate over how genuine this change is).
Key Takeaway for Exam Success
When answering questions about family roles, you must always remember the core themes of Power, Control, and Inequality. Whether discussing gender roles or the social position of children, the best sociological answers explore who benefits and who loses from the relationships within the family structure.