The Housekeeper and the Food Problem (1917)

KEYWORDS: animals, domesticity, efficiency, food, gender, labor, women

RELATED TITLES:
Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. Herland
---. Moving the Mountain
---. With Her in Ourland

SUMMARY (Deborah Madsen):

Although "The Housekeeper and the Food Problem" does not directly address veganism, Gilman's focus on efficient, rationalized, and collective systems of domestic work and consumption in the home aligns with the principles of dietary sustainability. Gilman argues that the traditional feminized role of the housekeeper creates a paradoxical “food problem.” The labor required to procure, prepare, and preserve large quantities of food for individual households is inefficiently organized as women's work that is separated from the economy and professions. She proposes  the integration of scientific management principles into food production: communal kitchens, standardized meal planning, and the mechanization of food preparation. Further, Gilman links the “food problem” to broader social reformsrelated to gender equality and social progress.