About around what time was it "understood" that women "belong" in the kitchen?

Question

any events, dates, years or anything would be good! or any websites that would tell me more about when this first started.

Answer 1

The idea that women 'belong' in the kitchen AND that the 'kitchen' has less worth in the community (this part is important) is mostly attributed to the nuclear family years of the late 40's, 50's and early 60's, post WW2. (pre industiral revolution, agricultural societies were the norm, with equal work being required...Yes, somewhat during the industrial revolution, but in most families, like today it was not finacially possible for only one spouse to work, same goes for the depression era, and during WW2, women manned the previously held "male jobs", after the men returned from war, in order to provide male job security, women were encouraged to "go back to the home")

The 'hunter-gatherer' argument is *somewhat* true.

Many like to assert that "women's work", as in gathering, was somehow less important than "men's work", hunting. But let's take a closer look.

In pre-colonial America, the Seneca (or Iriquois) Native Americans had a somewhat "matriarchal" (though more eglatarian than anything) society. Why? Because grains, veggies, and fruits constituted 75% of the diet (obtained via gathering, with meat only taking up 25% of the diet coming from hunting. Therefore in these societies, though they were not 'economical' in terms of currency, their 'economy' of food was 'controlled' or at least the majority of weight came from "women's work". (hunting was seen as a male job because of child-bearing, pregnant women couldn't move as fast, and with a screaming toddler on their hip could not be quiet enough to hunt effectivly, but in the agricultural realm, children were welcome)

Only after the french, spaniards and English came to america and with them brought guns to make hunting easier, did the economy of societies switch to 75% of diet being meat and 25% being agricultural.

Based on these societies, it is relatively safe to bet that any pre-gun society was economically based the same way.

Though something should be said for the capitalist perspective of "owing land", native americans felt no one could own land, yet europeans did. In these cases, though women were often the largest contributors to agricultural work, because the 'land' was considered owned by the men (women could not legally own property according to commonlaw) it was considered a male contribution.


Basically, the 'gathering' component of pre-'civilized' societies played a much larger part in the economics of society than hunting ever did, yet because of our patriarchal roots, our view of the past is inherently jaded to regard men as superior, and in turn the jobs they preformed. Yet history (objective) paints a much different picture. Women have never been worthless or of less value. We've just been seen that way because that's what keeps the patriarchy going.

Answer 2

Women belonging in the kitchen is relatively new for several reasons one is that kitchens are pretty new especially in the states where many homes were only one or two rooms and the cooking went on over the same fire that heated the house.
Two women did there time in the Fields with their husbands and children mostly during gathering time. The industrial revolution changed a lot of things and the use of a kitchen was one I believe. But as for now I don't think women should be told that their place is in the kitchen if I were told my place was in the wood shop I would not want to go there no matter how good I was at wood working or even how much I like to do carpentry. So let us drop the where each gender belongs and get on with each person going where they feel they are at their best.

Answer 3

About the same time that it was "understood" that men "belong" in the fields doing physical labor(killing their bodies).

Technology=women working out of home

Answer 4

I think it was when humans first started to use tools, the men thought this club will be good for hitting things with. The women on the other hand thought this will be really good for chopping things.

Answer 5

It all started after WWII, when the soldiers were returning to their jobs and the women who had taken them over were fired. They didn't have much else to do but go home, so everyone figured it would be easier and better for them to stay there.

Answer 6

At the beginning of man's civilization, men were the hunters, women were the gatherers and preparers. So I don't think you'll find any kind of discrimination in this fight....

Answer 7

Jeez, look, it is biological NOT sociological.....A few thousand centuries ago women took care of the home and children and men hunted for food and shelter....As much as we have evolved socially and culturally, those characteristics are still built into our genes.... We are taught to fight and ignore them (I am talking from experience here...) but I think we should embrace them....Nature has given the proper tools to do a certain job, why do we not encourage those natural impulses? I am in no way advocating sexism in the work place, believe me I am not, but I am asking why we do not as men and women really embarrass the natural talents we were given through evolution to help our culture instead of perverting it?

Answer 8

If we were biologically inclined for certain tasks, then how come there aren't more top women chefs? After all, aren't women supposed to excel in kitchen duties because of their sex?

Answer 9

Women were always second class citizens, but the concept of the "housewife" didn't emerge until the Industrial Revolution, and even then, only the middle and upper classes could afford to have the wife/mother stay at home.

Answer 10

It was around the time man figured out he was better at hunting and gathering food than he was at preparing it. I think it was shortly after Adam and Eve got kicked out of the Garden of Eden, so it was umteen-thousand-something B.C. Something like that. . . .