According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, replacing a housewife with paid laborers would cost at least $100,000 per year. How could this be interpreted according to conflict theory?
A) The instrumental role is more valuable than the expressive role.
B) Domestic work is a highly functional adaptation that produces gender equality within a family.
C) Men have a great deal to lose if gender segregation disappears.
D) Gender inequality is mostly produced and reproduced through interaction.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Conflict theory suggests that social structures and relationships are shaped by power struggles and inequalities. In this context, the high cost of replacing a housewife with paid laborers highlights the economic value of domestic work, which is often undervalued and unpaid when performed within the family. According to conflict theory, men, who traditionally benefit from the gender segregation that assigns women the role of unpaid domestic laborers, would have a lot to lose if this segregation were to disappear. This is because the current arrangement allows them to benefit from the economic value of this labor without having to pay for it, maintaining a form of gender inequality.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Replacing a Housewife