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Until recently, food preparation has been largely the work of women. One of the most important developments affecting America's eating habits in the past 100 years has been the evolution of new roles for women (and men), as more women have entered the workforce and families have become smaller. New technologies and changes in gender relationships have both played a role. Better kitchen appliances and the availability of more processed foods have cut the amount of time necessary to prepare food and helped make it possible for women to do more things outside the home. This, in turn, has brought even more demand for convenience in food preparation and has spurred the long-term trend toward eating out.
Domestic Labor Was Full Time for Most Women in 1900
A century ago, domestic labor took the equivalent of a full work week, mostly related to food. According to a survey at the time, a typical women spent 44 hours a week preparing meals and cleaning up after them. Another 7 hours each went to cleaning and doing laundry. When child care was added in, women had little time left for leisure.
A woman's economic status, of course, could make a big difference in her housework load. Women in the upper middle classes and above often employed domestic servants to do most or all of these chores. In these cases, work by the woman of the house consisted mainly of planning and management.
On the other hand, women from poor families had to balance housework and child care with the need to take outside work to support their families. A large portion of Southern Black women, for example, found employment as cooks and maids in the houses of White women. Many poorer city women worked in factories; many others, especially immigrants, did manufacturing work at home. Overall, 20.6 percent of women over the age of 15 were in the paid labor force in 1900. Only 5.6 percent of married women were counted in the labor force, however (fig. 1 ). Farm womenrarely included in the labor forcealso usually made a cash contribution to the farm in addition to housework, often raising poultry and eggs and managing the dairy.
Women were usually the gardeners as well, and many women...