Abstract

DEL CAMPO, María Lis  and  NAVARRO, Alicia. The meaning of cooking practices among middle-class women in Cordoba, Argentina. An approach from the social representations theory. Perspect Nut Hum [online]. 2012, vol.14, n.2, pp.1-10. ISSN 0124-4108.

Background: cuisine sociocultural studies give account for the reasons that guide this practice and their social relations. Objectives: to explore the social representations of cooking practices among middle-class women in Córdoba, Argentina. Materials and methods: a qualitative and exploratory study was conducted using in-depth interviews collected from eleven women, selected by purposive sampling based on the maximum variation sampling principle (ages, educational level, occupation and family status). The central and peripheral elements were assessed using discursive and verbal indicators. Results: core elements showed the appreciation of the cooking as a woman's own responsibility in response to certain traditional values, expressed also as a duty of being devoted for others. They are also in permanent tension by other elements as labor market insertion and own care to remain within weight and beauty standards. These meanings require new logics to effectively rationalize time, resources and feelings. Conclusions: this investigation shows that the category female/male is a strong sociocultural construct which refers to behaviors, expectations and social roles assigned to men and women respectively. Also, it is needed to consider the cultural environment, the social structure and the everyday experiences in order to understand the meaning given to feeding practices.

Keywords : cooking practices; social psychology; social representations; qualitative research; Argentina.

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