Outline of Today’s Lecture
I. What is so natural about family structure? II. Theoretical perspectives on the family III. Is anyone doing the housework? The division of labour in the home.
The Traditional Nuclear Family and New Alternatives
--> never married nonmarital cohabitation with children --> voluntary childlessness two-parent --> single-parent permanent --> divorce, remarriage male primary provider, --> egalitarian (dual-career) ultimate authority sexually exclusive --> extramarital relationships heterosexual --> same-sex relationships, households legally married
Family Types in Canada, 1961-2001, Census
70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Married, CL, kids kids Single, kids Married, no kids CL, no kids
1961 1981 2001
The Five Functions of Families
Sexual regulation Economic cooperation Reproduction Socialization Emotional support
The Five Bases of Marital Satisfaction
Economic forces
Divorce laws The family life cycle Housework and childcare Sex
Family Satisfaction and the Family Life Cycle, USA, 1998
Family satisfaction (scale 1-5) 4.5
4.3
Men
4.1
Women
3.9 3.7
ts en ar 2 49 5L ng hi c un a i bl t en m sh A C ult d n re ld hi -p on N ts en ar 50 +
-p on N
ta Es
t es yN pt Em
&
More young adults living with parents and many seniors living with adult children, Canada
60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Age 2024 Age 2529 Men 6574 Women 65-74
1981 1991 2001
Who does the housework? Competing Claims
Husbands do no more hwork than in the past, despite more women working for pay. Women are overburdened by the second shift - OR – Men are beginning to do more housework and that, like paid work, gender differentials in housework are narrowing and becoming less gender-typed.
Average hours of housework per week for all men and women, U.S.
35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 1965 1975 1985 1995 Total Women Men
Theoretical Explanations for Who Does the Housework
1. Time Availability
2. Relative Resources
3. Gender Perspective
Average hours of housework per week for Married men and women, U.S.
40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 1965 1975 1985 1995 Total Women Men
What can we conclude from Bianchi et al. (2000)
1. In 1995, women still most likely to do housework, but do a bit more than half of what did in 1965. Women still do more of the core tasks compared to men. 2. Men (husbands) do a bit more than they used to do. But Bianchi et al. point out the biggest increase was in the 1980s. Is this a “stalled revolution”? 3. Overall, less housework is being done. Is anyone doing the housework? Are our standards around housework lowering?