Which term describes a family arrangement where authority and household tasks are shared between male and female partners?

Which term describes a family arrangement where authority and household tasks are shared between male and female partners?

• A. Patriarchal family
• B. Symmetrical family
• C. Nuclear family
• D. Modified extended family

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is how power and chores are shared inside a couple. A symmetrical family describes a setting where both partners take on domestic tasks and make decisions more equally, often with both working and dividing housework and childcare in a less gendered way. This reflects social changes that push toward gender equality in the home. It’s different from a patriarchal family, where authority tends to rest with the husband, and from structural terms like nuclear or modified extended, which focus on who is in the household or how kin live together rather than how tasks and authority are shared. So the term that fits is the symmetrical family.

The main idea here is how power and chores are shared inside a couple. A symmetrical family describes a setting where both partners take on domestic tasks and make decisions more equally, often with both working and dividing housework and childcare in a less gendered way. This reflects social changes that push toward gender equality in the home. It’s different from a patriarchal family, where authority tends to rest with the husband, and from structural terms like nuclear or modified extended, which focus on who is in the household or how kin live together rather than how tasks and authority are shared. So the term that fits is the symmetrical family.