How are roles and power divided between partners in the family?
Conjugal roles and the division of domestic labour, including segregated and joint roles, the symmetrical family, the dual burden, and decision-making and power within couples.
A focused answer to the AQA GCSE Sociology families topic, covering conjugal roles, the symmetrical family thesis of Willmott and Young, Oakley's critique, the dual burden and power within couples.
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What this dot point is asking
AQA wants you to explain how domestic work and power are divided between partners, using the debate between Willmott and Young's symmetrical family thesis and feminist critics such as Oakley, and to cover decision-making and control of money as well as housework. You should be able to argue both sides of the equality debate.
Segregated and joint roles
Historically, sociologists described working-class families as having segregated roles, with separate "men's jobs" and "women's jobs" and separate social lives. The claim that roles have moved towards being joint and shared is what the symmetrical family thesis sets out to argue, and what feminists set out to challenge.
The symmetrical family
Willmott and Young studied families in London and argued that over time the family had become symmetrical: the roles of partners had become more similar and more shared, with men helping more with housework and childcare and couples spending their leisure time together at home rather than separately. They linked this change to several factors: women increasingly going out to work, smaller families that are easier to share, higher living standards and labour-saving domestic appliances, and the family becoming more home-centred (privatised). For Willmott and Young, the trend was towards greater equality between partners.
Oakley's critique and the dual burden
Ann Oakley rejected the symmetrical family thesis, arguing it exaggerated how much had really changed. Her own research found that housework and childcare were still done mostly by women, even when those women also had paid jobs, and that men's "help" was often occasional and limited.
Power and decision-making
Power in the family is not only about housework; it includes who makes the major decisions and who controls the money. Feminists argue that men often still hold more power, controlling big financial decisions even where the woman manages day-to-day spending. Domestic violence is the most extreme expression of unequal power within some families. So even where housework is shared more than in the past, power may remain unequal, which is why the specification treats decision-making and resources as part of conjugal roles.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of AQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
AQA 201912 marksDiscuss how far sociologists would agree that conjugal roles have become equal.Show worked answer →
A twelve-mark Paper 1 item assessing AO1, AO2 and AO3. Build a balanced answer with named sociologists on both sides.
For greater equality: Willmott and Young argued the family has become symmetrical, with roles more similar and shared as men do more housework and couples spend leisure time together. Reasons include women working, smaller families and better living standards.
Against equality: Ann Oakley criticised the symmetrical family, finding from her research that housework and childcare were still mainly done by women. Feminists point to the dual burden (paid work plus most domestic work) and the triple shift (adding emotion work).
Judgement: roles are more equal than in the past but far from fully symmetrical. Markers reward both sides, named sociologists and a supported conclusion.
AQA 20224 marksIdentify and explain one criticism of the symmetrical family.Show worked answer →
A four-mark item: state a criticism and develop it with a named sociologist.
One criticism comes from Ann Oakley, who argued the symmetrical family is a myth. Her research found that housework and childcare were still done mostly by women, even when they had paid jobs.
Develop the point: feminists argue this leaves women with a dual burden, doing both paid work and most domestic work, so roles are not really symmetrical. Markers reward a clear criticism, the named sociologist and the concept of the dual burden.
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Sources & how we know this
- AQA GCSE Sociology (8192) specification — AQA (2017)