Food preparation and the division of domestic labour among newly married and cohabiting couples

Abstract

This paper examines the domestic division of labour in relation to food preparation in the early months of marriage/cohabitation. A total of 22 heterosexual couples from central Scotland, all childless and in full‐time employment or education took part in in‐depth interviews shortly after setting up home together. In more than half of the cases, the woman prepared most of the main meals, seven couples took equal part in food preparation and in two cases the man was the main meal preparer. There was evidence of role conflict among those women who prepared most of the meals, and of a trade‐off between the disadvantage of the tasks’ burdens and the advantage of control over food choice. This represents a significant departure from earlier work on food preparation in households with dependent children, in which men rarely cooked main meals, and women showed little evidence of resentment and considerable deference to their partners’ tastes.

Citation

Kemmer, D. (1999), "Food preparation and the division of domestic labour among newly married and cohabiting couples", British Food Journal, Vol. 101 No. 8, pp. 570-579. https://doi.org/10.1108/00070709910288261