How are roles and power divided between partners in the family?
Conjugal roles (segregated and joint), the symmetrical family thesis of Willmott and Young, Oakley's critique and the dual burden, and power and decision-making in the family.
A focused answer to the Eduqas GCSE Sociology families topic, covering segregated and joint conjugal roles, the symmetrical family thesis of Willmott and Young, Ann Oakley's critique, the dual burden and power in the family.
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What this dot point is asking
Eduqas wants you to explain conjugal roles (the roles of partners in a couple), the symmetrical family debate between Willmott and Young and Ann Oakley, the idea of the dual burden, and how power and money are divided in the family. The symmetrical family debate is a favourite for the longer discuss questions on Component 1.
Segregated and joint conjugal roles
The distinction matters because the central debate in this topic is whether roles have moved from segregated towards joint. Sociologists ask not only who does the housework but also who controls money and makes the big decisions, since these reveal the real balance of power.
The symmetrical family: Willmott and Young
For Willmott and Young, the symmetrical family was a positive sign of progress towards equality. Their thesis is the "for" side of the conjugal roles debate, and any answer on whether roles have become equal should set it against the feminist critique.
Oakley's critique and the dual burden
The feminist Ann Oakley rejected the symmetrical family thesis. Her research found that women still did the great majority of housework and childcare, even when they also had paid jobs. This is the dual burden: a woman does paid work and then also carries most of the unpaid domestic labour, so roles are far from equal. Later feminists added the idea of the triple shift: women also do emotion work, managing the family's feelings, on top of paid work and housework.
Oakley's critique is the "against" side of the debate. It argues that the appearance of sharing hides a continuing inequality, which is why feminists see the family as patriarchal.
Power and money in the family
Conjugal roles are also about power: who makes the important decisions and who controls the money. Feminists argue that men often still control major financial decisions and that money is not always shared equally, even in dual-earner households. Domestic violence is the most extreme expression of unequal power in the family. So a full answer on conjugal roles weighs not just the division of housework but also decision-making and control of resources.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of WJEC Eduqas exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
Eduqas 20182 marksDescribe what is meant by the dual burden.Show worked answer →
A two-mark describe item: define the term clearly.
The dual burden is when a woman does paid work and then also does most of the unpaid housework and childcare at home, carrying two jobs at once.
Markers reward an accurate definition: paid work plus most of the domestic labour. Linking it to Ann Oakley's critique of the symmetrical family strengthens it.
Eduqas 202112 marksDiscuss the view that conjugal roles in the family have become equal.Show worked answer →
A twelve-mark discuss item assessing AO1, AO2 and AO3. Use Willmott and Young for the view, Oakley and feminists against it, then judge.
For the view: Willmott and Young argued the family had become symmetrical, with joint conjugal roles in which partners share housework, childcare and decisions more equally. They linked this to social changes such as women working and smaller families.
Against the view: Ann Oakley criticised the symmetrical family, showing that women still did most housework and childcare, the dual burden. Feminists argue power and money are often still controlled by men, so roles remain unequal. The triple shift adds emotion work.
Judgement: roles have become more shared than in the past, but a true symmetry is questionable while women carry the dual burden, so the view is overstated. Markers reward both sides, named thinkers and a supported conclusion.
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Sources & how we know this
- Eduqas GCSE Sociology (C200) specification — WJEC Eduqas (2017)