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"The family is symmetrical." Discuss In many societies, family life is organised around gender roles, so responsibilities within the family unit are often allocated to members according to their sex. This division of labour is often perceived to the product of a fundamental difference between the biological basis of men and women. However, this is a highly controversial assumption, usually applied to the cultural differences and what society needs and expects from the individual and the sexes. When referring to the 'symmetry' of the family, one is using the term to describe the equal division of conjugal roles. Early sociologists studied the effects of changing times within the family, and the impact this had on the division of roles. Elizabeth Bott developed the notions of 'segregated' and 'joint' conjugal roles, implying that the family is either symmetrical, or indeed, not. Joint conjugal roles are generally categorised by the sharing responsibilities, decision-making and...

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