Gender Roles Within the Family

Different sociologists have different views of whether or not gender 

roles have become equal. Some have concentrated on 

the division of labour in the home and examined how domestic work has been divided between husband and wife. Others have tried 

to measure the distribution of power within marriage. Willmott and 

Young have argued that gender roles are equal. However many sociologists such as Oakley, Duncombe and Edgell, have found 

little evidence that couples share equal division of domestic tasks. 

Willmott and Young agree with the statement that gender roles have 

become equal and during the 1970’s husbands were seen to be increasingly helping with domestic chores, child rearing and decision making about family life, they found that 72% of husbands helped with these household tasks. Ann Oakley is one sociologist who criticises this view of Willmott and Young and in 1974 she pointed out that the results they had gathered included husbands who did very little, which doesn’t show an equal division of labour.

Jonathan Gershury agrees with Ann Oakley and disagrees with the 

statement that gender roles have become equal. He points out that 

dual burden could lead to increased inequality between husbands and 

wives as a rising proportion of women suffer from it. In 1992 Gershury 

studied the changes in hours worked by men and women over time. It showed a gradual increase in the amount of domestic labour performed by men. This increase was greatest when wives were in full-time employment, husbands whose wives worked full time doubled the amount of time they spent cooking and cleaning. Gershury concluded that though women still tolerate the main burden of domestic labour, there is a gradual trend towards greater equality.

The men see their main role as a breadwinner (the instrumental role), proving 

money, rather than the expressive role; the emotional work of which many women see themselves responsible for. According to Duncombe and Marsden many...