ct and Deference, author Marjorie DeVault argues that with sharing household responsibilities, “when one person takes the responsibilities [for household chores (such as the purchasing, preparation, and cooking of food)], others [don’t] think about [those responsibilities].”6 Thus, the woman (who takes these household responsibilities) is labeled as the “organizer” or the “supervisor” in the domain of the cooking sphere.
Marjorie DeVault found in her experiment that due to their husbands being the wage earners in the house, the women felt their sole purpose was to “reward” their husbands with elaborate meals. In addition, women took into consideration what preferences their husbands and children’s had, suggesting that “paid employment brings power and influence within the familial domain.” Thus, the “activities of cooking and serving food in a particular manner are quite significant because it signals a wife’s acceptance of a subservient domestic role and deference to her husband’s wishes.”7 Th...