The typical job for a woman was always to be the housewife. To stay home, cook, clean, do the laundry and ironing and take care of the children was second nature for her. Women hardly worked outside of home other than if it was on their farm to help their husband. Canada went through the change of seeing women work in the field outside of home during World War one and even then many people did not really like the idea. Till today in many countries around the world women still do not work outside of their own home. My question to you is that in the community we live in, are women seen differently than before or is their typical job still to stay home and take care of the family? Has our community progressed and accepted the fact that not only men can work outside of home? Are women seen as equal in the work field or are women still seen as unfit to work?
In the ad on the left it shows women as being the ones to cook and that's what she is for. Is this ad protraying women in the right way or is it offensive? If the job of a wife is to cook than why are top chefs all mostly men? Is that not ironic? Does that prove that if a man can do a woman's job, a woman can do a man's job?
In Canada, I believe the stereotype linked to women has changed. Women who may have moved here from a male domesticating country have seemed to get an independent stand and are no longer seen as sex objects. Women are now seen to be getting their education, and assembling their rights. They are seen at high-status occupations like engineers, doctors, police officers, running for president... By looking at this ad, what is being consumed is the stereotype, stating women are fragile, and worthless outside of the kitchen. I don’t find this ad offensive, because I can’t cook but I find it reverently stupid. Yes, it is true that the woman usually does the cooking at home, but the best chefs out there are men. However, this applies vice versa for male jobs too. Society designs certain jobs for both genders, and if the opposite sex were to be seen doing it, it would not be “feminine” or “masculine” of them. But what if you’re a single mother/father? Who does the opposite sex roles? Certain jobs can see to be done by one gender type, however it’s certainly not scientifically true that only one gender can do the job, or do it any better than the other.
ReplyDeleteI agree woman have risen in Canada however personally I still feel men are ahead. In many professions they are paid more and have a higher salary. I think women are progressing but we still have room to improve. I find the ad a bit offensive. Yes I can't cook but what the ad is saying is that women should know how to cook cause that's there job. I don't believe it is a woman's job to cook. She has her own dreams that she wants to achieve. I respect your opinion and I agree that jobs can be done by both genders but sometimes one gender does a certain job better than the other.
DeleteI also agree, in western countries women are given a better standing in status than most eastern countires; but I don't think that a woman's status is at the same standing of a man's, at present. Most high profile jobs are served out to men, rather than women, whether this is just because men are more qualified, or because employers still don't see fit for a woman to have a prized position in society is really up for debate; but the sheer fact is that men have higher profile jobs than most women. Having said that, I certainly think that women today are as equally qualified as men are, but there is still the stigma that a women's main concern and attention is reserved for her family rather than a job (a stigma unforgotten from the past). But I still believe that our society is getting closer and closer to achieving a form of equality between men and women, acknowledging the differences between the two sexes while still maintaining the sense of impartiality.
ReplyDeleteAs for the domestic part of life, change might be slow and difficult to bring and implement. In most households, for some considerable years in the future there will still be some sense of the larger part of responsibilities resting on the female, but with education that will change.
I agree with what you have said and I am waiting for a day when the world will see women as equal and the thought that their job is to stay home will not cross people's minds. I don't know if that day will come in my life time though.
DeleteI agree with you. The dominant discourse about women in society is that they all should stay home,cook, clean, and take care of the children. Some of this is true and false. My mother has been working as an accountant and even comes home cook,clean and take of me and my sister. I really believe that women have more potential than men do for example as my mother who works 7am -6pm everyday, comes home, cook and take care of us. Even my father right now is retired, doesn't really cook. He pretty much just stays home and sleep.
ReplyDeleteBut then again, some women stick the old housewife job because that's what they were raised in their mindset. It must have been a cultural influence or a social influence. Or even that they think it's a better solution to live than getting an actually career.
I agree that the culture you live in and the way you are brought up influence your opinion on whether you think it is a woman's job to take care of the house. I also believe that it is possible for a woman to take care of her family and work outside of home. She has the potential.
DeleteI just wanted to answer your question whether the ad protraying women in the right way or if it's offensive. It could actually go either way. On television there are more men than woman who have their own shows. These days, some women don't know how to cook and may find this offensive. What irritates me the most is the stupid quote, "...that's wives are for!". It really bothers me how people can say something like that. The picture was bad enough but the quote is just too much. THE WHOLE IDEA OF A CHEF IS TO COOK!
ReplyDeleteThis just shows how you can see this medium everywhere, even on T.V. like that making fun of commercials show on YouTube we saw in class. An example we all know is every single Mr. Clean commercials, which is very similar to this situation. He is suppose to clean but he brings the cleaning supplies to the these women and watches them clean. It's sad that the men who do what woman do are not even shown, and if they are shown they are shown as being gay or a wimp.
I agree that if men do the jobs that people view as typically a woman's job are seen negatively. In indian culture a man who supports his wife or helps his wife in her daily work is called a "wife's slave". I don't think that by helping your wife or any other woman for that matter, be your mother, sister, grandmother, mother-in-law or daughter makes you any less of a man. It shows that the man cares for his family and he knows his responsibilities.
DeleteIn my personal opinion, I think that our community has changed. In my family, both of my parents work. It shows that man is not the only one who has to work in order to support the family. I also know some families, where both of their parents work or the mother works and the father stays at home. The problem is, even though women can work, I think they are not yet treated equally. Men still think that women are very fragile and they can't do what men can do that's why they give easier jobs to women than men in their workfields.
ReplyDeleteFor the ad, I think that the ad is very offensive for the housewives who stays at home. It portrays that housewives are only meant to cook for their husbands.
I agree that housewives are not only meant to cook but that is what is being protrayed in the ad. I know of many families where both partners work aswell but this is the first time I am hearing that the husband is at home and the wife works. Thanks for sharing. I agree with you that women are given the easier jobs in the workfield while men are given the more harder jobs.
DeleteI agree with everybody else to say that the community we live in now, women are seen differently than before. I believe that most of the class, has parents that are from different countries. Particularly, the east side of the world. On that side of the world, they couldn't work, now in Canada many jobs had open up for them. They even got the right to vote in 1916. Now, our generation has been westernize, and women can get any occupation.
ReplyDeleteWhen I applied to work at No Frills, and my friend told me something that I found interesting. He said that the men can't work at the cashier, and the women would get the cashier job most of the time. The men couldn't work at the cashier. I believe it is because that of the big and bulky items they have to unload and pack into the shelves.
Yes it's true all cashiers are normally women. I hardly see men cashiers but for No Frills, I think the reason men are not cashiers is because they are needed for shelving and moving and carrying all the bulky and heavy goods. It makes more sense for them to hire women to be cashiers will have the men do the harder and more physical jobs. However that proves my point that women are still not seen as equal because women are not that weak. Some women are more physically stronger than some men.
DeleteBeing born in Canada, and having my parents being born in Canada, as well as my grandparents, i have a slightly different view on this.
ReplyDeleteAs my mother and grandmother were never forced to stay home and cook/clean, i do not have any knowledge as to what it's like.
What i do know, is that my grandmother was a single mother who raised four children on her own. She was not only the mother who cooked, cleaned, and took care of the house, but also the "bread-winner", as there was no other income coming into the household.
In Canada woman make almost the exact same amount as men, if not more in some cases. There are many CEO's of high end companies that are woman.
We have equal opportunities as men, and I think we take advantage of that, because it wasnt always like that.
By the way, that ad looks like it's very old. The picture quality is very grainy as ads in the sixties often were. I dont think that this is a representtion of today's society and equality between men and women.
Also, even though i do find the add offensive, I dont think people quite understand that the actual product is called a "Kenwood Chef". They're not reffering to the husband.
Back in the 60's or whenever this ad was made, woman did mostly stay home, and cooking and cleaning were their jobs. This product was meant to help them, not insult them. yeah, it was a dumb slogan, but i'd prefere this to the sexual garbage that i see on tv nowadays.
I agree that when compared to the sexual scenes we see on tv today towards women, this ad seems less offensive, it even seems okay. I agree that the ad is old and that nowadays not many similar ads are made however that is my point; have we progressed as a country in the concept of women rights and equality. Yes today women do have very high ranks when it comes to the work field but if a male and a female have the same position and rank, which gender is paid more or are they paid the same wage?
DeleteIt’s quite hard to change the traditions of the past. It was perfectly normal back in the day for the women to be the housewife who were responsible for getting the meal prepared, cleaning the house and many more household chores. The men were the breadwinners of the family; he went out and worked for the family. Many people back then thought what the ladies did were nothing compared to the hard work men had to do. There were even articles about the good wife’s guide (1955) where it stated all the things the wife had to do for their husbands. “Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first – remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.” “Make the evening his. Never complain if he comes late or goes out to dinner, or other places of entertainment without you. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through that day.” However, times have changed and I’m happy for that, because some of the things that were said on the article I found were ridiculous. I think now the women do both, they have a career and they take care of the house, the kids and their husbands. Yes, our community has progressed and accepted the fact that women can work outside too. I think this has to do with education because education is the key to success. Back in the day it was rare for women to be educated, but today it is not. When I deconstruct this ad, I do find it offensive because it implies that women aren’t smart enough to prepare for the meal. I think the chef tells the wife what to do and that’s what he means by, he does everything but cook. He does all the preparations, and all the thinking, while she just follows the orders.
ReplyDeleteYes this ad is implying that women don't have a brain of their own and need to be told what to do even when it comes to something which they "should" be good at. I agree that women are very educated nowadays and they have the same opportunities as men when it comes to education. They can go to university and study for as long as they wish and become whatever they want. While reading your post on what was written in the wife's guide, I also find it very ridiculous. I don't agree with most of what is written in the guide. You know, someone should go publish a good husband's guide. We should see how men react to that.
DeleteSeeing as how there are only boys in my family (excluding parents), I grew up unbiased seeing as how both my parents did the same amount of cooking. As for cleaning, we all cleaned our own stuff. The only thing my mother solely did, was laundry. I have seen though in other families, that the women will tend to the all the house's needs and all the cooking. Even when I was visiting family in England, my male cousins did no work. My female cousin did everything since she was of age. Even their mother relied on her. So I think it's about how one was brought up and from what culture they are from.
ReplyDeleteYes culture and upbringing do play a very important factor in how things run in the household. In the culture I am from, women do tend to do the housework because it is seen as their job. My mom used to work before marriage but after she got married to my dad she stopped working. I lived in a joint family and all my dad's brothers and his parents lived in one big house and though my dad was the middle brother, he was the only one married so my mom had a big responsibility of handling the house work. Before my mom got married all my uncles and my dad did the housework to help my grandma which is why they can cook and clean. When my mom joined the family they helped her too but for my mom it was overwhelming as before she never had to do any of the house work so she decided not to work outside of home. Now we don't live as a joint family but my mom still is a housewife. It is not like she can't work but for her, her most important job in her eyes is to take care of her children and her family. So yes culture and upbringing and circumstances influence a person's choice and the way they view women.
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ReplyDeleteCulture is a strong and very influencing force. I come from an African background where it is implied that women should kind of handle the household work but at the same time we are not prevented from receiving an education or having a career. We just have to manage both. Despite this, my parents have never really been sticklers for that concept and so my brother and I alternate chores. More often then not he does more chores than I do and both my parents do more chores than us. In that sense my family has broken away from the Somalian dominant discourse and adopted their own method. In Canada, I feel women have come a long way from the past and in today's society we have more opportunities to reach our full potential. I think the dominant discourse changed because most Canadians now accept the fact that women can have jobs outside their homes. However, despite this fact there are many things we can improve on such as striving to have more women being represented in our parliament, senate, as judges, and in professions that are normally male dominated. As for the ad, yes it is kind of offensive because frankly I can not cook, but like Raquel said it is better than the constant sexual ads we are bombarded with in today's society.
ReplyDeleteComparing a women back then, and now is like comparing a burger from being uncooked to cooked. Women are still not being treated fairly and equality as men, BUT their is a big improvement from back then to now. Women back then only used to do household stuff but now they have a job just like men.
ReplyDeleteI believe that both women and men should be able to work and get treated the same rights as men do and even earn the same amount of money for the same amount of work that a men does.
As far as the ad goes, BOTH MEN AND WOMEN should be able to trade jobs. What i mean is that if a men try he can cook, not as good as the women BUT he can cook, and the same goes for the women. If a men could work and support the family, the women should also get a change to support the family.