Get Inspired, Be Empowered Forums Sexism & Patriarchy Are we moving towards a gender-neutral kitchen?

11 replies, 11 voices Last updated by Aditi Sahu 2 years, 1 month ago
  • Woospire
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    nehachitroda
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    ARE WE MOVING TOWARDS A GENDER-NEUTRAL KITCHEN?
    The kitchen was always a women’s task and is still the same before it was the only kitchen that was to be managed by them but now in present times women not only manages kitchen but work with kids also. During those times women were not allowed to work outside and only told to look after the kitchen.
    But now some are taking initiative and moving towards gender neutrality in many things but we can say if it is happening, then there are some still who have not changed their thoughts and keep on discriminating between male and females work or field. We are in the 21st century and people adopt western cultures in their most day to day lives but when it comes to doing some work like cooking or cleaning then they have not moved forward because they still think women should cook, clean, and look after the home.
    Yes, we are moving towards the gender-neutral kitchen but I think this scenario has both sides, we are moving towards gender neutral kitchen because many are now understanding that any tasks are not gender related in fact any gender can do any tasks. But on other hand, there are still some who still being adoptive of everything but don’t accept the fact that anyone can cook and not only is women’s task.
    It’s on us that what we consider each task whether its kitchen or office work or kids because there are no specificity or any rule that only women’s have to work in kitchen and men’s in office, but both can equally do the work at home and then the society will move towards a gender-neutral in each field.

    Tanima
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    According to ongoing modernization of our society, it’s a very good sign that not only women are struggling for liberation, a large portion of men are also coming forward to celebrate this . In middle class and upper class families, equal division of the duties are becoming reality. Whether it’s for the higher education or the modern day to day lifestyle, we’re becoming adopt to a working women, father taking care of children. Sharing a common kitchen is a reality in many family. But how much real are they?
    In talking about society, we should never forget the largest amount of people in India, suffering from poverty or being in rural surroundings. Those families neither have access to higher education, nor have awareness and modern thoughts. Child marriage is still an explicit truth.
    By modern India, we forget to reflect that world lying besides the short lanes. Dowry, child marriage, severe killing, female foeticide is not a yesterday’s news. And of course, we can’t expect a gender equal kitchen from them who likes to keep their females beneath veil or behind the curtains.
    And for the known to be modern society shows a really doubtful circumstances. Yes, maybe a working woman is accepted but did anyone tried to help her by dividing her duties? For most of the families, the answer is no.
    Women are expected to continue their social duties and for both working husband and wife, it’s obvious for a wife to take in charge of kitchen.
    As society claims that doing job is a pleasurable choice, and for that they must go through their job duties as well as home duties .
    So , in this modern world, though it’s becoming a reality day by day, but confronting the deep rooted patriarchy is a tough task to do. But not to lose hope, a currect education and modern welfare will soon restructure our social norms and will lead to a better society as well.

    shaifalikapoor03
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    Gladly, in the present day era, people have been evolving their mindsets regarding the household responsibilities. They’ve been trying hard to split up their responsibilities towards their houses.
    Earlier, it was considered as a woman’s duty to cook, clean and do everything related to the house. But now, the scenario have changed. Everyone, including men are taught to do household chores, specially cooking.
    In this independent era, where men and women are on the verge of equality, it is good thing that people are trying to evolve themselves.
    The society earlier used to be a great barrier in between people trying to be equal, but today, a lot of people have been working hard towards the goal of equality without listening to the society. It used to be considered as a shame when men used to work for their house or in the kitchen, but the evolved mindsets of people now do not consider it as a shame no more.
    Cooking is a basic skill that everyone should know and not just a responsibility of a single woman in the house.

    PALAK KASHIV
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    Yes, I can say that slowly people are considering the kitchen as a gender-neutral place but in some rural areas still, women are present in the kitchen, men don’t even enter because they follow patriarchy, now not all women stay at home some go for work, in that case, they both men and women help each other in cooking so it can do little, some men’s love to cook and serve their family and friends, its positive change that world is moving towards the gender neutrality, traditional society never has motivated men to cook they always accept that women are made for cooking and kitchen should be in hands for her, we should not forget best chefs are male-only, and the couple should decide who willingly decide who loves cook that person it does not matter who is cooking, we have to normalize seeing men’s in kitchen and make them feel comfortable. Even parents who divide their housework responsibilities so children also learn there is no specific gender role in the house. Boys and girls should both equally be taught cooking by parents so it will promote gender neutrality. I think somewhere it’s also women’s fault she thinks How can I expect my husband to cook for me when I know cooking, I will be criticized by society this thought women should eliminate. If a boy has an interest in cooking let them go to the kitchen for cooking don’t stop them because of its girl duties. In most people, both men and women prefer to cook who gets time or who is the mood in cooking that person will cook. Women will never deny cooking if you ask, but what she dislikes that cooking is only her duty, if some men believe that way to their heart is through the stomach so then they should also learn cooking and helping their partner in the kitchen.

    VIPASHA .
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    @vipasha
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    Kitchen duty is the most hardest and responsible duty which a person has to do any woman is always supposed to perform this. But with the passes of time adaptation of modern culture thinking and understanding. Men and children also taking initiative to work in kitchen and Help the women .
    Earlier there was the belief that , a woman should do all the house Chores and cook food . After marriage she has to choose House work life instead of her dreams. But with the passage of time more and more men initiating to word working at kitchen. Yes the scenario is not even now but there was a line doing something is better than doing nothing. We should not forget that , India is still struggling from modernization, for development still -India is a developing country, it is in the stage of developing, it is not developed yet. Still in some areas child marriage is happening , sexual harassment is there , women’s exploitation , violation against women is still present in the society and environment of the country which is affecting country . But still in all these circumstances the man who taking initiative to work in kitchen showing a ray of hope , that development can be possible in the India . And this step is specially taken taking place in higher class and many of the middle class family . But we cannot consider here educated people because many of the educated people act like an educated and insensible person and still spend their life in ancient believe , culture and practice .
    According to the survey, Home cooking in the United States is increasing, especially among men, though women still cook much more than men. Among chefs, we discovered that 25.8% of them are women, while 70.3% are . But still, unfortunately there are very few men who cook because they feel cooking is just a women’s job and are embarrassed to do kitchen chores. Modernization and adaptation of good practices as an hue give it to push instead of wait for the result.

    DISHA SAPKALE
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    @42disha
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    Yes, In today’s generation their are some men who help their wife in kitchen and it is good that men thinking is moving towards gender neutral in kitchen. But in villages people think women is made for kitchen duties and household chores. They don’t believe in equality between men and women, so it can be in anything. In education also they don’t think in gender neutral towards women. Its just like men should do job and women should stay at home. Why? Women has also right for education. Not only women are responsible for household chores men are also equally responsible. At rural areas people should change their thinking towards women. They should move forward with their thinking according to generation like both can do job, both are equally responsible for household chores. Family should support women for education so that she will able to follow her dreams and be independent this will also make change in society thinking towards women. It will show gender equality between men and women. In urban areas men are moving forward with their thinking towards women like they are equally deserve to education and do job for herself to be an independent and confident women. Their are some men who shows gender neutral in kitchen. Both men and women do job and together take all the responsibility towards their family and household chores. But women has to guide all the cooking skills to men. This happen because parents only taught their daughter that how to do all the household chores and cooking from childhood. Rather than they should taught both son and daughter equally. Parents should not tell only their daughter to learn cooking. They should also tell their son to learn cooking this will create their mindset for gender neutral in kitchen. Both men and women should have understanding and respect for each other while working at office.

    Shumaila Siddiqui
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    Fortunately yes we are moving towards the era which is not gender based for the duties of kitchen. Earlier it used to be the woman’s area, and now it is for everybody who loves to cook. We have come a long way to normalize that kitchen is not meant for only women but for everyone who needs to survive in this world. Now men are coming forward to bring the change in a society. Still in some areas or part of the society has an orthodox background who thinks that it’s a shameful act that a man is cooking in the kitchen and woman sits in the office. It is regarded as unpleasant action. I think women have played an important role for making everybody believe that she will only cook for everybody and nobody else can cook because woman have never voiced her opinion about not being able to cook for everyone at times. She also needs to be rested from kitchen for a day or month or whenever she wants to. Since ages we have treated woman as worker and discriminating them from our society like she’s only good at cooking, and she needs to be there in kitchen only and nothing else matters in her life. Nowadays, men are more supportive and encouraging towards cooking in kitchen without being offended of the fact that woman is resting, and they are doing household chores.
    Nowadays, women are working, and they don’t find enough time to handle the kitchen work so their husband or even their son are helping them around with the kitchen duties. There will be great impact on our children of gender-neutral kitchen to learn that its normal to do kitchen duties whether a girl or boy. Some houses have even assigned the equal work for men and woman to do and that is such a great initiative in our society. Modernizing and evolving has changed a lot of things for everyone around, Most importantly the patriarchal norms are breaking day by day and many people are coming forward to take the initiative to end these backward norms. India is being very generous of having men around kitchen duties and as a country we are heading towards the right direction.Normalise men cooking in kitchen and not only in the master chef kitchen.

    Mayuravarshini Mohana
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    Cooking is a life skill, like swimming and driving. Yet, it remains a gendered activity. The kitchen has been ordained as exclusively a woman’s domain and it remains so in most households. It is baffling the way many men, who have had access to high standards of education, proudly claim ‘I have never poured a glass of water for myself’. This master-slave attitude is precisely why it is still women’s duty to cook and maintain the household, even at the end of an exhausting day at work.

    The kitchen is by all means one of the most important rooms of the house, but it has been made specifically feminine .For this reason it stands separated from the rest of the house, from the mainstream narrative. It would be worth referring to the leaking tap in the Great Indian Kitchen (2021). A plumbing defect anywhere in the house will be fixed, unless it is in the kitchen for this doesn’t inconvenience the men of the household.

    There is a certain level of hypocrisy in play when men who cook in professional kitchens are praised while it is labelled unmanly for him to cook at home. This coloured attitude stems from demarcating a professional as opposed to a personal life and the gendering of the various duties involved. There is hierarchy between professional and domestic work. That explains why it is considered progress for women to have a career but a descent for men to do household work.

    The rigid gender exclusivity is wilting in certain households where members of the family share the various domestic responsibilities, and this is a good sign of progress. The key term here is ‘share’ and not ‘help’. The purpose of a gender-neutral kitchen is to create a space where gender does not determine the behaviour and duties of individuals. The term ‘kitchen’ in no way restricts the equal division of work to cooking. It refers to all activities, be it as simple as filling a glass of water, that are to be performed there. It is worth remembering that neither men nor women are here to serve each other.

    Among young educated parents, a movement towards a gender-neutral kitchen can be sensed. It is refreshing to witness conversations on various social media platforms which propagate ways through which this can be achieved. The foremost among them is teaching boys to cook. What is equally important is to not make a fuss about it. Children, irrespective of their gender, should be taught to execute age appropriate duties in the kitchen, and by extension in the entire house. This lays the foundation for soldering equality in relationships, a value they’ll carry with them throughout their life.

    Going a step ahead, many toy companies in Europe and America have introduced gender-neutral play kitchens for kids. Play kitchens play an important role in gender socialisation and therefore is the perfect place to incorporate changes. Ferm Living, a Danish brand, has introduced Toro Play Kitchen which is minimalist and noted for the use of a wooden colour palette intended to appeal to both boys and girls. This will change the perception of kitchen among children and the various roles associated with it.

    People have begun realising the importance of gender-neutral kitchens. Initiatives like these can bring about positive changes in the society for they address gender inequality at its root. Let the change begin in our kitchens.

    anshika agarwal
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    Household chores are gender neutral. They can be done by any gender. Parents should teach their children how to do household chores at least basic ones regardless of their gender in their childhood. So that they can adopt that habit in their daily life and be a part of gender neutral society.
    Women do a lot of kitchen works. Almost 95% households has women working in the kitchen. Then why there are less number of women chefs in our society. In today’s era when women needs gender neutrality and want to have an equal status in the society, men are moving towards kitchen. In some houses men have started helping their wives and mothers in the kitchen. But the rate of men working in the kitchen is quite less than women. Cooking is an art which can perform by any gender. The most common dialogue we heard is the the way towards men’s heart goes through his stomach, the way towards women’s heart cna also go through her stomach. So, men’s cook for women. According to the National Time Use Survey released by the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development the average Indian man spends an average of 19 minutes per day on housework while the Indian woman spends 298 minutes. Why there is such a big difference? The stereotypes of women working in the kitchen can only be broken by getting more boys to learn kitchen works and work their like girls does with whole heartedly. It is the only way of reducing gender difference in the kitchen.
    With the passage of time society needs change. Society is changing but needs to change more. Gender neutral kitchens are the need of today’s society.

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