It may not be a surprise as ‘cooking’ is traditionally ‘women’s works and probably still today done mostly by women around the world though I know several men who love cooking and are in charge of that at home. Many women (include myself) never cooked while at home, only started when we’re moving out or getting married. I also know many men (my dad included) who are doing other kinds of housework, e.g. food prepping, cleaning, repairing, running errands, and taking
I was at Boston African Festival in 8/10, music, food, colorful customs and crafts, fashion show, dance with lots of clapping and laughter, it was a great time! While I was waiting for food, I noticed 3 women busy on the front serving customers while 4 men sitting in the back playing their phones. Normally, I’d ‘see’ it and moved on, then, I was listening to Melinda Gates’ The Moment of Lift (audio book) of gender inequality and women empowering works she and Gates foundation have been doing. I looked around, most of the stands were ran by women or mostly women, except 1 craft stand by a man. Later I attended Somerville Global Street Food festival, again, most of the food stands were ran by women, except a BBQ by 2 men. I saw a long line in front of a dumpling stand by 2 young ladies, good for them!
Besides equality, I feel it’s important to rethink ‘entrepreneurship’. When talking about ‘entrepreneur’, what comes to many of people’s mind is white male in 20s, drop off Ivy League school to start up a ‘dream’. In truth, all the street vendors, little shop owners, homemakers are also entrepreneurs. Many of them are women who have never heard of thought of themselves as ‘entrepreneurs’. They do often out of necessity and because of the limited resources, they’re very creative to make the most of it…I remember the ‘egg cake’ lady, little snack/ toy shops on my way home from school, and the night market back home. They are unsounding heroes and nurture generations of families and dreamers.
There are ways to go for true equality yet I believe, as Hans Rosling said in the Factfulness , the world is getting better! Let’s work together, women and men, to create opportunities for all!