Thanksgiving work
When I was a kid, it was normal in my family for the women to do all the work for Thanksgiving dinner and the men to sit around drinking beer, watching football, receiving snacks, and waiting for the main meal. It was normal for most other families, too.
Surprisingly (or maybe not), when I look at my Facebook feed, which includes a fair number of enlightened people, Thanksgiving still seems much more of a day not off for women.
Women getting up early to start the turkey. Women who did their baking yesterday. Women who are getting their food ready to carry to the family gathering place. Women asking, after six hours of kitchen labor, is it okay to have a glass of wine yet? Shit.
Sure, there's the occasional macho turkey deep fry going on, but even that only means that that one item is done by the men, outdoors. Like cooking on the grill, it is dangerous, glamorous, and limited in scope and time and if you don't have a beer in your hand your doin it rong.
And some men do get involved like women traditionally have. But most all of the boring drudgery of cooking the side dishes, setting the table, cleaning up, not to mention the connection and emotional work, is done by the women.
How far we have not come.
Surprisingly (or maybe not), when I look at my Facebook feed, which includes a fair number of enlightened people, Thanksgiving still seems much more of a day not off for women.
Women getting up early to start the turkey. Women who did their baking yesterday. Women who are getting their food ready to carry to the family gathering place. Women asking, after six hours of kitchen labor, is it okay to have a glass of wine yet? Shit.
Sure, there's the occasional macho turkey deep fry going on, but even that only means that that one item is done by the men, outdoors. Like cooking on the grill, it is dangerous, glamorous, and limited in scope and time and if you don't have a beer in your hand your doin it rong.
And some men do get involved like women traditionally have. But most all of the boring drudgery of cooking the side dishes, setting the table, cleaning up, not to mention the connection and emotional work, is done by the women.
How far we have not come.
Posted by oldfeminist at 11/24/2011 7:35 PM 
Categories: men, privilege, work, expectations, entitled white males
Categories: men, privilege, work, expectations, entitled white males
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