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Unlock This CourseConjugal role relationships refer to the roles that husbands and wives (or partners) play within a marriage or partnership. These roles determine how household tasks, childcare, decision-making and emotional work are divided between partners. Ann Oakley, a pioneering British sociologist, conducted groundbreaking research in the 1970s that challenged conventional views about family structures and gender roles.
Key Definitions:
Ann Oakley (born 1944) is a British sociologist, feminist and author. She became famous for her research on housework and gender roles in the 1970s. Her work challenged the idea that women were "naturally" suited to domestic roles. Oakley was one of the first sociologists to study housework seriously as work, rather than dismissing it as something women just "did".
Oakley's most influential work includes "The Sociology of Housework" (1974) and "Housewife" (1976). She interviewed 40 London housewives about their experiences of housework, childcare and marriage. This research revealed the monotonous, isolating and low-status nature of housework, challenging the romanticised view of the "happy housewife" that was common at the time.
Oakley's research in the 1970s provided a critical analysis of the conventional family structure that was dominant in British society. She argued that the conventional family was characterised by a rigid division of labour based on gender, which she found to be neither natural nor beneficial for women.
One of Oakley's most significant contributions was challenging the idea that women are naturally suited to domestic roles. Through her research, she demonstrated that:
Oakley found that 70% of the housewives she interviewed experienced significant dissatisfaction with housework, describing it as monotonous and lacking in social recognition.
Oakley found that women spent 77 hours per week on housework. Tasks were repetitive, isolating and never-ending. Unlike paid work, housework had no clear beginning or end, no holidays and no financial reward.
Women were expected to take primary responsibility for childcare. While many found aspects of motherhood rewarding, the constant demands and lack of support created stress and isolation for many mothers.
Men's role was primarily as breadwinners. Even when women worked outside the home, they still performed a "double shift" by taking on most household responsibilities in addition to paid employment.
Oakley identified that the conventional family was characterised by what sociologists call "asymmetrical roles" - where men and women have distinctly different responsibilities based on gender.
In her study of 40 London housewives, Oakley found that:
Even when men did participate in housework, they tended to do specific tasks (like DIY or gardening) rather than routine daily chores like cooking, cleaning and childcare. Men's involvement was often described as "helping" their wives rather than sharing equal responsibility.
Oakley identified that housework consists of four main stages that create a never-ending cycle of labour:
Oakley argued that this cycle creates a constant burden of physical and mental labour that is largely invisible and unrecognised.
Unlike paid employment, housework has:
Based on her research, Oakley developed several key critiques of the conventional family structure:
"Housework is work directly opposed to self-actualisation."
Ann Oakley
Oakley argued that the repetitive, low-status nature of housework prevents women from developing their full potential as individuals, limiting their opportunities for personal growth and fulfillment.
Oakley's research has had a lasting impact on sociology and our understanding of family life:
Oakley's work was groundbreaking because it:
Since the 1970s, family life has changed in several ways:
However, research shows that women still perform more housework and childcare than men in most households.
While Oakley's research was revolutionary, it's important to critically evaluate her work:
Ann Oakley's research on the conventional family provided a powerful critique of gender roles and domestic labour in the 1970s. By highlighting the unequal division of household responsibilities and challenging the idea that women are naturally suited to domestic roles, she made a significant contribution to our understanding of family life and gender inequality.
While family structures and attitudes have evolved since Oakley conducted her research, many of her insights remain relevant today. Women still perform more housework and childcare than men in most households and the unpaid labour that sustains family life continues to be undervalued. Oakley's work reminds us that family arrangements are socially constructed rather than natural or inevitable and that they can be changed to create more equal and fulfilling relationships.