The kitchen has been designated, through size specifications, its placement within the house, and its spatial relationship inside the residential home structure, as a gendered space.

Beginning in the homes of the Victorian era, both public and private spheres were constructed within the home. "As the house was turned into 'a home' in the Victorian period, the lay-out of the building was gradually transformed. There was marked spatial segregation between the sexes, between husband and wife and master and servant. Distinct zones were created for different activities such as cooking, eating, washing, sleeping, and formal social functions, with public and private spaces clearly demarcated. The kitchen was isolated at the back of the house" (Wajcman 113). This placement of the kitchen as segregated from the other rooms of the house was viewed as a sign of status. "Overall, then, hierarchy and location of rooms reflected the stratified relationships within the home, characterized by the subordination of servants to the family, family to wife, and wife to husband" (113).

Changes in residential home design took place, as families without servants became more and more prevalent. The kitchen became the core of the house, and changed in size to reflect the removal of servants from the family structure. "The kitchen, now designed for the servant-less family, was a compact fitted kitchen with room for one worker, the housewife. Neither its small size nor its location, sealed off from the rest of the house, were conducive to the sharing of kitchen duties" (114).

Suggested Readings:
Wajcman, Judy. Feminism Confronts Technology. Pennsylvania: Penn State U. Press, 1991.