They found the conjugal roles a lot more similar with men helping with housework and women often in employed work. Willmott & Young claimed by the end of the 20th century the family would be symmetrical. .
Some of the reasons for the increase in equality of conjugal roles in the home are an increase in women working, this means women are now earning money in their own right and along with money comes power meaning they can be independent and do not solely rely on their partners income. Also with women spending more time out of the house than they used to they don't have the time to do the extent of housework that they used to and it means men have to help in order to get everything done. Feminism has also had an effect; it has put large demands on men to show their caring side and has resulted in changes in behaviour. The move back into the home by the men as opposed to spending more time in the pub is largely down to the home becoming a more attractive place to spend time, due to the increase in home entertainment, technology and the generally fewer children husbands now feel happier at home and have more reason to stay in.
However Willmott & Young's study was disputed by Ann Oakley who claimed that the symmetrical family was a myth. She said that Willmott & Young's book showed male ideology and wasn't a true picture of what was happening. She argues that Willmott & Young's data was quantitative and so lacking in depth, one such question was "Do you/does your husband help at least once a week with any household jobs like washing up, making beds, helping with children, ironing, cooking or cleaning?" from this question Willmott & Young concluded that 72% of men helped in the home however although this figure sounds impressive men who do a very small amount of household jobs, perhaps just iron one pair of trousers in a week would be classed as helping in the home by Willmott & Young.
