Attitdues on Housework Essay

?The roles of women and men have been very stereotypical in the past. Women were made to cook and clean, and men were made to work, and bring home money to support their families. Today, there is more of an equal division of housework. When comparing my parents to my grandparents I especially notice a difference between the amounts of cooking that is being done. Women work more than ever, men find cooking more interesting, and the stereotypes of the typical man and woman are not the same anymore. Men are continuing to cook more than ever, while females are cooking less than ever, because of the changing society. My parent’s generation is very different from my grandparent’s generation. When my father was growing up my grandma did all the cooking, and because of that my Grandpa never had to cook, so he never learned. My grandma worked a part time job and my grandpa worked full time. It was known that supper would be on the table every night at 6 waiting for my grandpa when he got home from work. In today’s society, in order to make ends meet, it is necessary for women and men to both have full time jobs. In my house, the one who is the first one home from work does the cooking. Very often my parents are also taking turns driving me and my brother to different sports, so meals are sometimes rushed. My mom cooks less than my grandma, but my dad cooks far more than my grandpa ever did. Men cook more than ever because women cook less than ever and there needs to be a happy medium. Years ago women did most of the cooking for many reasons, but the main reason was because that’s what they were stereotypically supposed to do. Today, that stereotype has almost vanished. In fact, most women are insulted by the old house wife title, so they don’t like to cook as much to escape it. Most women today can’t cook to the same standard that their mothers did. This is because women also want to be successful in the work force, so they are busier, and have less time to spend on cooking. Men, on the other hand, work no more than their spouse, so they have no choice but to help out with household chores. They might also remember what their mother’s cooking was like, so that inspires them. Men have more time than their father’s did to spend on cooking. My dad, along with a lot of men would rather cook than clean. In today’s society men have to help out around the house, because women don’t have time to do everything like they used to. Cooking is far more enjoyable than cleaning, there is a finished product that you can enjoy, it is calming, and you can experiment and try new things. These are just a few reasons to why more men may enjoy cooking. I know my dad would rather cook than wash the floors. Since my dad chooses cooking over cleaning my mom does a lot of the other housework resulting in her to cook less than usual. Social media inspires men and women in different ways. My dad loves watching the food network. These TV shows, with chefs that are males, inspire him to be handy in the kitchen. They almost make cooking seem cool because it is something different for men. Men like to always prove that they can do anything, so being a great cook is something they strive for because it can set them apart from other men. TV shows like Oprah inspire women to be different than the average woman. They don’t want to be the typical stay at home mom. Instead they want to be successful business ladies, and change the world. These television shows inspire men and women to be different than the traditional roles their parents played. The end result of this social effect is an increase in cooking for men and a decrease in cooking for women. Today’s changing society doesn’t allow for men to be the bread winners and for females to be the bread maker. Instead, each gender does a bit of both. This affects both genders’ roles and attitudes towards cooking. In most households, to maintain a stable living condition, men need to help their wives with housework. Men find cooking more interesting than cleaning, they have more time for it than ever, and they find it challenging and rewarding. Women have less time for cooking due to their busy schedules, they don’t want to be the stereotypical housewife, and instead they want to be successful in the work force. All of these social factors explain why men are cooking more than ever while females are cooking less than ever.