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gender roles and cooking. . .I've noticed something

post #1 of 64
7/3/09 at 2:27pm
Thread Starter 
I've noticed something, and I've noticed it across several cultures now.

Younger men (say 18 to 30 maybe) seem to know how to cook, and take pride in being able to cook at least one or two things really well.

Women in the same age group may or may not be able to cook, but don't take much pride in it. I can't put actual numbers on it, but I've met probably close to as many women that can't cook as can cook.

All this thinking about 4th of July and barbecues and such suddenly made me realize that at just about every party of younger people I've been to, the men do the cooking (including side dishes, apps, etc, not just grilling meat). Every party I've been to where it is an older group, it seems the labor was more divided equally or even tilted more towards the women cooking.

Anyone else noticed this trend?
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post #2 of 64
7/3/09 at 2:33pm
'Cause it's now socially acceptable and, indeed, even encouraged for men to cook now. You don't come accross as a pansy anymore.
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post #3 of 64
7/3/09 at 2:34pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by DarkNWorn View Post
'Cause it's now socially acceptable and, indeed, even encouraged for men to cook now. You don't come accross as a pansy anymore.

How does that explain the women not cooking? It seems that with increased "women's liberation" or whatever you want to call it, women would be increasingly on their own and cooking for themselves. Instead, it seems they don't. . .
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post #4 of 64
7/3/09 at 2:35pm
Yes I would agree, I enjoy cooking much more than my girlfriend, and tend to do more of it when we do cook.
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post #5 of 64
7/3/09 at 2:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Milhouse View Post
How does that explain the women not cooking? It seems that with increased "women's liberation" or whatever you want to call it, women would be increasingly on their own and cooking for themselves. Instead, it seems they don't. . .

Simple. My gf and I eat the same amount of food, regardless of who's doing the cooking. So, if I cook 80% of the time, that only leaves her 20% of the time to cook. Whereas before, you might've seen 95% women and 5% men, who was usually relegated to the grill.
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post #6 of 64
7/3/09 at 2:41pm
I have been to several parties lately hosted by women under 30 and you would have thought that Martha Stewart was behind it all. They did an amazing job with decorating, cooking, cocktails, you name it. I don't think the number of guys who cook has changed that much. There has always been a group, at any age, who enjoy cooking. I have numerous friends 30+ who are all excellent cooks. Perhaps your male friends in their 20's are discovering that they actually enjoy cooking for, the first time (instead of having to cook) and now like to take the lead at parties and events.
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post #7 of 64
7/3/09 at 2:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Milhouse View Post
How does that explain the women not cooking? It seems that with increased "women's liberation" or whatever you want to call it, women would be increasingly on their own and cooking for themselves. Instead, it seems they don't. . .

In my experience, men tend to get disproportionally larger credit for the same culinary achievement. If a woman cooks, she's just doing the hausfrau thing. If a man cooks, everybody thinks he a marvel of creation.
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post #8 of 64
7/3/09 at 2:42pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DarkNWorn View Post
Simple. My gf and I eat the same amount of food, regardless of who's doing the cooking. So, if I cook 80% of the time, that only leaves her 20% of the time to cook. Whereas before, you might've seen 95% women and 5% men, who was usually relegated to the grill.

Not all people are in a relationship.
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post #9 of 64
7/3/09 at 2:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Milhouse View Post
Not all people are in a relationship.

No, but it's a contributing factor. There's not one reason that fully explain this role reversal.
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post #10 of 64
7/3/09 at 2:54pm
Being a chef has always been seen as a masculine pursuit. It's only in the last generation that women were widely accepted beyond pastries.

On the amateur front, I think there's been a shift to seeing cooking (for men) as a craft alongside woodworking or something like that. In my experience, if a guy's going to cook he gets more into it than your average stay-at-home mom having to feed a family. He's not just popping up some hamburger helper.
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post #11 of 64
7/3/09 at 3:13pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hans View Post
In my experience, men tend to get disproportionally larger credit for the same culinary achievement. If a woman cooks, she's just doing the hausfrau thing. If a man cooks, everybody thinks he a marvel of creation.

That is an interesting point. Hmm.
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post #12 of 64
7/3/09 at 4:46pm
I do think young men are cooking more. Maybe because we're getting married later. I know I enjoy cooking, and do an alright job, and one of my roommates who is 24 cooked an entire turkey dinner for Thanksgiving last year (and he's a male). My father and uncles don't really cook (except for one, who trumped my roommate the year before and made a ham, deep-fried turkey and barbecued turkey for Thanksgiving).
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post #13 of 64
7/3/09 at 7:43pm
When I get married, I want my wife to cook me breakfast and lunch, but I will do dinner.
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post #14 of 64
7/3/09 at 8:16pm
Food culture in this country and in Europe has exploded, and now chefs are sort of reveared. The level of cooking in the circles of people who actually care about cooking has gone up as well, so it's looked at as a craft and a skill, rather than a necessity. Men now think of themselves as at home chefs, and are probably far more ambitious with their experimentation than women were some years ago when their duties were a little bit more simple (though not necessarily any less difficult). Back then we were interested in our cooks (women) to get us fed. Now we want to eat very well and be excited by food, so in a sort of dick measuring contest guys have taken over.
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post #15 of 64
7/3/09 at 9:05pm
Most Superstar Celebrity Chefs these days are men (I personally can't think of any superstar women). We may hate Gordon Ramsay's antics however who wouldn't want to 'wow' their guests with some of the dishes he is capable of producing.
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