I have chosen my mum's photograph in the kitchen, preparing a family meal in this photo essay. The reason for choosing the photo is the sociological significance of the gender roles where mothers are regarded as homemakers, with many duties cooking healthy and nutritious meals. In this paper, I will relate major gender roles that are believed to be predominantly for women, and this will be contextualized in the changing gender roles in contemporary society. The sociological expectations are that it is the mothers' role to cooking for the family, which will be analyzed according to the different family norms. The nurturing impact that mothers have towards the many chores that they accomplish in the family set up has made them gain affection and respect because of their selfless service to others (Matwick, 2017). From a sociological perspective preparing meals falls under home management activities, and mothers are the perfect home managers when they do in person or delegate some of these important duties.
One of the major themes that can be derived from the photo is that cooking for the family has been perceived as a gender role that is specifically considered exclusive for women. However, this has been a subject of debate in various public forums due to the changing gender roles where women are more focused on their career and professional life while delegating some of their duties such as cooking to domestic home managers and fast-food restaurants (Deitzer et al., 2019). Food or meals and how they are prepared in the family unit to make the members eager about breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Women and, in this case, my mum have accustomed our family towards certain meals and dining traditions that may differ from one family to the other. The firm grip and control of a woman's cooking roles may request help from either family members such as father, daughter, or son in a collective show of family unity and solidarity (Goldscheider et al., 2015). It is during meal times that families enjoy quality time and get to appreciate the selfless service that their mothers go through to prepare meals every day without fail regardless of their other commitments (Mills et al., (2017). By preparing nice meals for the family, mothers or women show love and commitment to their family and their spouse's relationship. From a personal reflective perspective, I have realized that cooking is an art or skill that one can be learned and perfected with time if one shows their interest irrespective of their gender.
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The social role theory relates directly to the social behavior and the gender roles of the issue under discussion. The similarities and differences in gender roles in the context of social behavior can be better explained by the roles that are regarded for men or women (Shnabel et al.,2016). The social-cultural theory, also known as the social role theory, defines social roles between men and women. The photo of my mum preparing a meal in the kitchen is definitive of one of the gender roles where women are considered as home managers and homemakers. Food is one of the things that enhances the warmth and welcoming feeling in the family set up. In the execution of their gender roles, women are considered the face of the home and a critical component that complements the family. The picture creates the impression that the modern kitchen where my mum is preparing a meal is one of the important rooms in the house since it directly impacts all the family members' health and well-being. Contemporary society has experienced great attention in changing roles where men can do tasks previously regarded as womanly (Eagly & Wood, 2016). Similarly, women are also accomplishing tasks that were regarded as men's responsibility according to social roles. It is common and interesting to know that even preparing meals for the family or offering to help their wives in the kitchen and from sociological thinking can make families better. Men have even pursued cooking as a profession as some of the world's accomplished chefs are men, changing some of the rigid social roles that cooking is only for women.
Conclusion
The sociological imagination that the photo portrays is that social and gender roles bound women to prepare meals for their families. The photo reflects the nurturing, caring, and affectionate love that women have towards their family by preparing meals daily without fail despite their other commitments such as their professions. The selfless service that women portray in accomplishing their gender and social roles has motivated me to help out in the kitchen. Such has cultivated a deep sense of individual responsibility and appreciation for the gift and blessing of family. I have enjoyed being in the kitchen, preparing different sumptuous meals that are the family favorite. This has reduced some of the expenses that I used to incur eating out regularly.
References
Deitzer, J. R., Leban, L., & Copes, H. (2019). “The times have changed, the dope has changed”: Women's cooking roles and gender performances in shake methamphetamine markets. Criminology , 57 (2), 268-288. DOI: 10.1111/1745-9125.12200
Eagly, A. H., & Wood, W. (2016). Social role theory of sex differences. The Wiley Blackwell encyclopedia of gender and sexuality studies , 1-3. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Wendy_Wood2/publication/285179532_Social_role_theory/links/58b8dbd4a6fdcc2d14d9a7ea/Social-role-theory.pdf
Goldscheider, F., Bernhardt, E., & Lappegård, T. (2015). The gender revolution: A framework for understanding changing family and demographic behavior. Population and Development Review , 41 (2), 207-239. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1728-4457.2015.00045.x
Matwick, K. (2017). Language and gender in female celebrity chef cookbooks: cooking to show care for the family and for the self. Critical Discourse Studies , 14 (5), 532-547. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17405904.2017.1309326
Mills, S., White, M., Brown, H., Wrieden, W., Kwasnicka, D., Halligan, J., ... & Adams, J. (2017). Health and social determinants and outcomes of home cooking: a systematic review of observational studies. Appetite , 111 , 116-134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2016.12.022
Shnabel, N., Bar-Anan, Y., Kende, A., Bareket, O., & Lazar, Y. (2016). Help to perpetuate traditional gender roles: Benevolent sexism increases engagement in dependency-oriented cross-gender helping. Journal of personality and social psychology , 110 (1), 55. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000037
