Parsons argues that the stabilisation of adult personalities is aided by which arrangement within the family?

• A. The sexual division of labour
• B. Equal sharing of all domestic tasks
• C. Extended kin networks
• D. Single earner households

Answer: (A)

Parsons shows that the family helps adults stay psychologically stable by having a clear, gendered division of labour inside the home. When the male partner takes on the instrumental role as breadwinner and the female partner takes on the expressive role as homemaker and emotional caretaker, their duties are neatly separated and aligned with their social expectations. This arrangement creates predictable routines, reduces role conflict, and provides emotional security after the pressures of work and wider society, helping adults maintain balance and cope with daily stresses.

That’s why the sexual division of labour is the best answer. Equal sharing of all domestic tasks would undermine this traditional structure Parsons argues is stabilising. Extended kin networks and single earner households are related ideas but do not describe the internal mechanism Parsons identifies for stabilising adult personalities within the family.