Role of Gender in Kitchen Design - Essay Example

Dalia Sayyar Marie History of Modern Design Kitchen Design Introduction The Kitchen is generally considered the forte of women, in both the western and the eastern world. Despite the feminist movement and the arrival of the women in the workplace in large numbers, the kitchen is still associated with women. It is perhaps for this reason that the design of the traditional kitchen has evolved over time to suit the changing needs of the women. As liberation of the women increased in the west during the early twentieth century, designers sought to accommodate the kitchen according to the changing lifestyle of the women. Along with the changing roles, technology has also played a great impact as industrial revolution began inside the homes and women became more attuned to using the modern mechanisms. Computer and other industrial appliances entered the homes and women began exploring the world outside their kitchens. The research paper aims to examine the role of gender issues the evolution of kitchen design, with specific importance given to the early twentieth century. As gender roles were being transformed in the early twentieth century and women were forced to live dual lives as both workers and housewives, the designers of the period took notice of the change and thus adapted the kitchen design to align with the modern women. But it was not just women who were impacted by the changing kitchen design but gradually the whole family took in the changes and evolved their own lifestyles according to changing perceptions, design and outlooks. Influences on Kitchen Design According to Moody and Vineyard, five factors have influenced the evolution of kitchen design during the first half of the twentieth century. These being the changing Role of Women, Domestic Science, Industrialization, Food Safety and Health Determinants (Moody and Vineyard, 476). From these probably the two most important factors were the changing role of women in society and industrialization. Industrialization bought kitchen appliances in homes with microwaves ovens becoming the most popular appliance that later even replaced the traditional stoves in certain homes. The changing role of women is another factor worth discussing. With health issues being raised after the advent of the industrial revolution and people realizing the importance of kitchen for food safety, servants were being replaced by women in the kitchen. The abolition of slavery further limited domestic help in the kitchen. However, industrial appliances became the new servants for these women. While women accepted the kitchen, they were also exploring the corporate world and thus they began a dual life where they began managing both the kitchens and their jobs. Evolution of Kitchen Design In the early times, kitchens were very different from what we have today. The advent of the industrial revolution greatly changed the landscape of the traditional kitchens as modern kitchens were fitted with the industrial appliances and also had water fittings. At the turn of the twentieth century, kitchens came fitted with iron stoves, sewers and gas pipers. But industrialization in the twentieth century brought bigger changes in the original design of the kitchens. Frankfurt Kitchen Frankfurt Kitchen was introduced in the 1920s by Austrian architect, Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky for a social housing project in Frankfurt, Germany. This kitchen style was then later adopted by the mass population in the late 1920s and early 1930s. The Frankfurt kitchen is often labeled as the first modern kitchen that simultaneously practical as well as helped in liberating the women. Lihotzky when designing this kitchen was influenced by the concept of Taylorism that called for a more practical and industrialized approach towards every process, including kitchen design. Thus, the Frankfurt Kitchen was an embodiment of practicality with its focus on reduced cooking time and lower development cost. The design resembled to a factory with its work stations. Frankfurt Kitchen was a small kitchen space measuring 1.9 by 3.44 meters with a specified floor plan and kitchen layout (King, 85). These smaller kitchens were meant to decrease the amount of step required to complete each task and women thus became professional workers in the kitchen. The Frankfurt kitchens included gas stove, built-in storage, ceiling lights, garbage drawer, ironing board and a stool. Storage compartments were labeled for the items they contain in order to improve efficiency and the materials for the kitchen was chosen by keeping in mind the various functions of the kitchen. Even though the Frankfurt Kitchen was common in households at that time period, it still confined the kitchen to one part of the home and women were thus confided to the kitchens once again. Unit Kitchens The Frankfurt Kitchen became the inspiration for later modification of kitchen designs despite the criticism it received for its rigid structure and work stations. The Frankfurt Kitchen also inspired the later Unit Kitchens that was developed by Poggenpohl in 1950s. These unit kitchens ‘wall and floor cupboards that could be hung or fitted together in block stretching from wall to wall’ (Spechtenhauser, 51). Poggenpohl used the concept of standard layout from the Frankfurt kitchen and added floor units, wall units, tall storage units etc. Even at this time, kitchens were generally the forte of the women even as they received help from the slaves and servants. But the 1950s was a time when domestic help was decreasing in demand due to the increase in food safety concerns. As health consciousness rose among the people, they began to lose their domestic help and the woman’s role inside the kitchen increased even further. Kitchens with Industrial Applications The 1960s was a time when industrial appliances entered that market in large numbers and the era is characterized by the mass consumption era. The Great Depression has created a feeling of helplessness among the people and with the mass production of goods, they wanted to horde most goods as a security against bad times and thus industrial appliances increasing entered the homes of rich as well as common people. Realizing the importance of industrial appliances, kitchen designers began incorporating these appliances as a part of the design. Work stations designed by these artists included spaces that were meant specifically for appliances such as oven, food processors, dishwashers etc. Formica, stainless steel surfaces and color coordinated appliances came in fashion (Snodgrass, 315). This change was also meant to accommodate the loss of slaves or helpers in the traditional design. Since slaves were no longer common in the kitchen, they had to be replaced by appropriate technology. Thus women got more efficient domestic help for their kitchens and with microwaves and refrigerators in the picture, the demand of ready-made products increased. Open Kitchens Open Kitchens came into the picture in the 1980s when the extractor hood was perfected and kitchens were no longer the hottest room in the house. Also with women entering the work force in large numbers, they could not have been expected to be confined to the kitchen while the rest of the family shared special moments in the living room, just one wall away from the kitchen. Thus the wall separating the living room and the kitchen was demolished and kitchens were welcomed in the homes, Kitchen became the hearth or the meeting place of the family and women were able to monitor their children while cooking. Since their busy lifestyle did not accommodate teaching and guiding the children, they turned towards keeping an eye on the children while working in the kitchen at the same time. The traditional kitchen was slowly being replaced as a place of family gathering. Kitchens were no longer small spaces in the corner of the home but were rather the centre of the original home design. They were equipped with the dining table where the family could eat together and even had music system incorporated. Kitchen thus became more of a living room rather than just being a kitchen. L, U and I shaped kitchen came back in popularity as designer experimented with these shapes for the changing demands. The colors of the kitchen design also altered in the 1980s. Off-white tones and neutral colors became more popular during this period to compliment the color of the appliances and create a harmonious impact (Freeman, 33). The Impact of the Improved Kitchen Design on the Family The improved kitchen design, did not just impact the lifestyle of the woman working in it but the entire family. Children began taking more interest in kitchen and cooking and thus began helping out their mothers. The mothers also took advantage of this help since they could no longer afford hired help. Appliances also helped the transition of children entering into the kitchen since they were relatively safer and easier to operate than traditional kitchen appliances. Also large kitchens that came in during the 1980s allowed the family to come together in the kitchen. The living room wall did not separate the mother from the rest of the family as she cooked while her family spent precious time watching television or socializing. Men also began to take interest in the kitchen as they did not feel out of place due to the presence of the industrial appliances that made life easier for the whole family. Conclusion Any design, kitchen or otherwise, is meant to accommodate the needs of its users. In the case of kitchen, the primary user is the woman and thus kitchen design was evolved over time to suit the needs of its primary user. During the early twentieth century, industrialization brought major changes in the lifestyle of the general population and thus kitchens were also impacted. It began as Taylorism philosophy entered the kitchen with its work stations and continued with the introduction of industrial appliances in the kitchen and the perfection of the extractor hood. But even with all these changes in the kitchen design, advertisements still portray women as the essential players in the kitchen and ads are targeted towards them. Men are not expected to help their women in the kitchen. Thus even with liberation of the women at that time period, biasness towards kitchen and women still existed in society. Bibliography Freeman, June, The making of the modern kitchen: a cultural history, New York: Berg, 2004 King, Sally, Theory of Evolution, Bon Appetit, Vol. 44, Issue 9, 1999 Moody, Dana and Vineyard, Michelle, The Evolution of Domestic Kitchen Design, Austin: IDEC International Conference Proceedings, 2007 Snodgrass, Mary E., Encyclopedia of kitchen history, Oxon: Taylor & Francis, 2004 Spechtenhauser, Klaus. The kitchen: life world, usage, perspectives, New York: Springer, 2006 Read More