Should we try to create a society where foodwork is shared equally, regardless of gender? Why or why not and/or what might be required for that to happen?
Historically, there has always been an imbalance in the gender roles in both the public and private spheres of society (Robinson, 2020). For instance, while men take on more important and significant roles in society, such as being in influential positions in society, women have always played a subordinate role. However, when it entails works in the household, women have taken key positions as they are involved in the day-to-day activities around the houses, including foodwork and other household chores.
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While there has been a significant push for gender equality in careers, education, and other aspects of life, household tasks such as foodwork should not be an exception. Within the Canadian context, CTV News seems to show this particular trend as it shows that Canadian dads have taken up more roles within the household and the chore that saw the highest incline in participation among dads was the preparation of meals (Canadian Dads Cooking, Cleaning More; Moms Still Outperform: StatsCan, 2017). In 1983, just 29% of fathers reported cooking, but this number doubled to 59% in 2015. This trend has also been intensified, especially during the Coronavirus pandemic (Canadian Dads Are Doing More at Home Than Before the Coronavirus Pandemic, 2020). Therefore, society needs men to chip in more at home, especially in foodwork.
To create equality in foodwork around the household, one of the recommendations is to move towards the monetization of domestic work where someone is paid to complete it. While this methodology is being tested by the Swedish government, the Canadian government should also adopt the same via tax incentives or direct services (We Can We Reduce Gender Inequality in Housework – Here’s How, 2016). Another way is to bring men into the foodwork process and expect them to do more household chores and thus be housework sharers and not helpers. This changes the typical narrative, which associated women with foodwork within the household and thus leading to the normalization of men undertaking foodwork at home.
References
Canadian Dads Are Doing More at Home Than Before the Coronavirus Pandemic. (2020). Retrieved 20 May 2021, from https://theconversation.com/canadian-dads-are-doing-more-at-home-than-before-the-coronavirus-pandemic-142236
Canadian Dads Cooking, Cleaning More; Moms Still Outperform: StatsCan. (2017). Retrieved 20 May 2021, From Https://Www.Ctvnews.Ca/Canada/Canadian-Dads-Cooking-Cleaning-More-Moms-Still-Outperform-Statscan-1.3439938
Robinson, V. (2020). Gender Inequalities: “Past” Issues and Future Possibilities. Retrieved 20 May 2021, from https://www.bbvaopenmind.com/en/articles/gender-inequalities-past-issues-and-future-possibilities/
We Can We Reduce Gender Inequality in Housework – Here’s How. (2016). Retrieved 20 May 2021, from https://theconversation.com/we-can-we-reduce-gender-inequality-in-housework-heres-how-58130
