Comparison of Kitchens and the Changing Role of Women

The role of women has drastically changed since the 1930s. The majority of women during the 1930s and 1940s were housewives, who did all of the housework and took care of the children. Today women are no longer expected to remain in the home. Instead women have become extremely successful members of every aspect of the working world. The transformation of the role of women can be illustrated by comparing the Greenbelt Museum Kitchen from the 1930s and the kitchen in my house, a modern family home.

The Greenbelt community was one of three communities constructed by the federal government in the 1930s during the Roosevelt administration. In the spring of 1935 Rexford Tugwell, a former assistant secretary of agriculture convinced President Roosevelt to utilize government funds to construct this suburban community(Arnoldxii). Constructed during the Great Depression, the project was intended to provide jobs for a society in desperate need of employment. In addition, the community would provide low-income families with an affordable alternative to community living. In about a year, original Greenbelt was constructed. It consisted of 3574 attached townhomes, 306 apartment units, and five single-family prefabricated houses(Williamson 34). On September 30, 1937 the first residents moved into their new community.

Greenbelt was "planned carefully around the needs of the family, especially those of the children"(Dahmas). Schools were nearby, playgrounds were in the backyards, and underpasses were built so that children did not have to cross streets. Cooperative organizations were set up within the community for everything that a family could need. "Townspeople bought and operated for themselves the various stores, gas stations, movie theaters, and beauty salon serving the town, and profits were returned to the customers in the form of dividends"(England 102). Even furniture could be purchased from a community furniture store at a price affordable to all families. The Greenbelt community was designed to be an "ideal" community.

The Greenbelt Museum

The Greenbelt museum is one of the original townhouses built in the 1930s. "The house has been restored with furniture and objects of the simple life which characterized the Great Depression and the New Deal"(vgb). The house contains a kitchen, living room, bathroom, closets, master bedroom, and the child's bedroom. I will focus on the appliances, equipment, decorations, and layout of the kitchen.

Kitchen in Greenbelt

The kitchen in the Greenbelt museum was designed during the 1930s. The kitchen is very small. In fact "only one person can fit in there comfortably at one time"(Moyer). The layout is very basic. There are cabinets for storage that are built into the wall. There is a small closet located beside the counter. The kitchen contains a sink, "which had a deep compartment for light laundry concealed beneath the drainboard"(Kline 34). Included in the kitchen are many appliances which were considered up-to-date during the 1930s. The women who moved into the Greenbelt houses were "enthusiastic about the well-planned, all-electric kitchen"(Kline 34). Hayley Bonica, states that "kitchens were more than satisfactory to their residents"(Bonica). The main appliances include an electric refrigerator, electric stove, and toaster. In addition there are other smaller appliances, such as a egg beater, coffee maker, electric mixer and a waffle iron and dishes. In Liana Liptak's analysis of the Greenbelt Museum, she offers detailed information on some of the appliances, that could be found in a Greenbelt kitchen. The appliances and dishes are on the counters and displayed in the cabinets. Also included in the kitchen is an ironing board and iron. The kitchen was designed primarily to be a place where a woman cooked meals for her family. According to Mannan Dasti "the kitchen of the 1930s was a small place that contained the basic necessities"(Dasti). The design of the kitchens in Greenbelt Community in the 1930s was a reflection of the expected role of women.

The Evolution of Working Housewives and the American Kitchen

During the 1930s few women worked outside the home. Most women were expected to stay home and take care of the children. "The standard twentieth-century essay about True Womanhood declares :

The attributes of True Womanhood, by which a woman judged herself and was judged by her husband, her neighbors, and society, could be divided into four cardinal virtues- piety, purity, submissiveness, and domesticity. Put them all together and they spelled mother, daughter, sister, wife-woman. Without them, no matter whether there was fame, achievement, or wealth, all was ashes. With them she was promised happiness and power" (Cater 204).

The community of Greenbelt encompassed this pattern of ideology. A woman's devotion to religion an purity in moral issues was a measure of her worth and required. Submissiveness and domesticity was expected and was a indication of subtle power in the household. Among the vast number of requirements to obtain a home was "no working wives" (Rogers). Women were expected to complete all of the household chores, including the preparation of meals. Women were the only members of the family to utilize the kitchen. This helps to explain the small dimensions of the Greenbelt kitchens. It was not a place for the husband or children to wander. The man was the head of the household, but he did not dare claim domain over the kitchen. Included in the kitchen were new technological appliances. These appliances gave the woman of Greenbelt a feeling of importance. They were made to feel comfortable in their "office". But often domesticity breeds discontent, and pacifying these woman with new appliances was not the answer.

The city of Greenbelt was a cooperative community. People shared many items and ideas. In the process of growing as a community, they created a vast number of organizations. These organizations ranged from recreational activities to political forums. Initially limited to household duties, the woman of Greenbelt joined as well as created organizations. Some of these organizations included the Housewives' club, Mothers' club, and the Better Buyer Club of Greenbelt. The community of Greenbelt's "policy carefully adhered to in family selection was to chose "normal" family groups as much as possible. The main criteria of a "normal" group was that there should be only one gainful worker in a family"(Kline 19). This gainful worker was obviously required to be a man. But organizations were seen as leisure activities that woman willfully indulged. Woman voiced their opinions publicly and broaden their minds and their "kitchen".

Wow, "they" have changed!

Women challenged the traditional ideas of men. They no longer wanted to just take care of the home while their husband supported the family. They expanded into the workplace and became a vital part of society. They became doctors, lawyers, engineers, as well as major government officials as illustrated by Attorney General Janet Reno. They have also expanded into sports which were once considered masculine. Women now participate in professional basketball and boxing. The changing role of women forced men to adapt and help to perform household chores once considered "feminine". One of these chores include cooking in a quickly changing kitchen. As an indirect result of women's increased social status, the household kitchen changed. The kitchen drastically increased in size. It no longer was a place for only "mom". The kitchen became a social area to talk to mom( or dad) while cooking. Some kitchens include a seating area to eat or do various things. Daphnee Pee has found that the kitchen has become the central gathering spot in the house. The appliances in the kitchen also evolved with women's liberation. Time is an important factor to a working parent. These appliances saved these busy people time and sanity. Knives are sharper, stoves are hotter, and canned goods can be opened in a matter of seconds. Technological items such as the microwave, and electric can-opener, are very different from the hand-cranked food grinder of the Greenbelt era. The kitchen is now accessible to children who no longer have to wait for "mom" to cook them something.

A Modern Kitchen in Chesapeake Beach, MD

The Town of Chesapeake Beach, MD

The town of Chesapeake Beach is located in Calvert County, MD. It is located off the shores of the Chesapeake Bay. I have lived in this small southern Maryland town for eleven years. Chesapeake Beach is located about 40 miles from Washington, D.C. Many of the citizens of Chesapeake Beach commute to the city to work but prefer to live in a more quiet atmosphere. Charles Skinny, a Chesapeake Beach resident, states that "Chesapeake Beach is a great change in the city atmosphere. It is nice place to raise a family"(Skinny).

My Family House

My family home is a townhouse located in Chesapeake Beach, Maryland. It was built in 1987. It has two stories which include four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room, basement, many closets and a spacious kitchen.

The Kitchen in my House

The kitchen in my family home is very spacious. On one side of the kitchen there is a large kitchen table. On the other side of the kitchen are many spacious cabinets and drawers in addition to a pantry. There is an abundance of counter and storage space. The cabinets are filled with various sets of dishes, silverware, pots and pans. The kitchen contains a large refrigerator with ice-maker, self-cleaning stove, and sink. Also included are many modern appliances, such as a microwave, dishwasher, and toaster oven. The kitchen also contains a telephone and a radio. Three large windows add to the effect of spaciousness. Two light fixtures and a chandelier bring light into the room. My kitchen has space for the entire family to comfortably be in at once. Similar to Ryan Westervelt's family kitchen, my kitchen is also used as "a family meeting space"(Westervelt). The kitchen is only place in the house that the entire family regularly gathers together.

My family normally gathers in the kitchen for meals. My mother does the majority of the cooking, but my six siblings often find themselves marinating a small meal. Due to the heavy traffic in the kitchen, cleaning can be tiresome. Their is a weekly schedule taped to the refrigerator that tells which family member has the priviledge of cleaning for the day. Yes, "Dad's" name is on the schedule also. Dad also helps with meals and laundry. Tasks frowned upon by men of the Greenbelt community. The kitchen is also a place where the kids do their schoolwork. You can often find someone tinkering over Math or English work. The cat can also be found in the kitchen hovering over her bowl of food and water. She often shrieks out of the kitchen after being harassed by one of my younger siblings.The kitchen is no longer a place just for women. It is being utilized by every member of the family, including the cat. Dad can be frequently seen "trying" to cook a Gourmet meal. He is also very active in helping with homework assignments which often baffle his brain. Mom is not the only cook or child-care provider in my house. Dad tries his best to "hold down the Fort".

Sources

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