Which statement best captures Oakley’s position on jointness in the symmetrical family?

Which statement best captures Oakley’s position on jointness in the symmetrical family?

• A. It overstates women’s workload.
• B. It supports the symmetrical family.
• C. It underestimates women’s unpaid work.
• D. It is unconvincing that jointness is widespread.

Answer: (D)

Oakley challenges the idea that families today genuinely share domestic and childcare duties in a truly equal way. She argues that what is often described as joint or symmetrical parenting is not widespread in practice, and that women still bear the bulk of unpaid work and household management. In other words, the claim that couples commonly share duties on an equal basis is not strongly supported by the evidence she discusses.

So the statement that it is unconvincing that jointness is widespread best fits her view: she sees the symmetry as more of an ideological or selective picture than a widespread reality. The other options would imply that jointness is real or that it hides more unpaid work, which isn’t what Oakley emphasizes.