1 Is work in the home shared today?

Despite the differences outlined in the Introduction, it is still helpful to use the same cycle of enquiry as the one used for identity last week.

Figure _unit6.1.1 Figure 1 Cycle of enquiry

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The cycle of enquiry comprises of five linked elements. The first is an individual observation. This leads on to wider research. This research leads to the development and use of concepts. Trying these concepts out is the fourth element which leads to better informed observation. The cycle starts again with a new observation.

Figure 1 Cycle of enquiry

For this topic, the cycle starts with observations about how work is shared in the home and tries to test out (through research) whether this has changed in the last 50 or 60 years? This means that questions like the following are asked:

• Do men and women share tasks more equally?
• If this has happened, why?
• To what extent do our conclusions need to take into account the differences between families?

So, these changes are the starting point of this particular social science cycle of enquiry.