Browsing by Subject "syömistottumukset"

Previous studies show that forming a relationship and living together converge eating habits and practices. Sharing meals together symbolizes care and the cohesion of family members. In addition to the ideas of sharing and togetherness, relationships also encompass gender-based food-related expectations and potentially unequal division of labour. The meanings food gains at homes and factors related to food choices and division of labour are less considered in food consumption and time use statistics. In this study, I will examine meanings of food and food negotiations in a new relationship. The study analyses the views of couples on their dynamics in the field of food decisions and practices, thus increasing understanding of the spouses’ food relationship, alongside the romantic relationship. The material of the qualitative research consists of half-structured thematic interviews of five heterosexual couples. A total of ten persons were interviewed individually. The interviewees were 18–52 years old. The material was analysed by means of a category analysis. Interviewees felt that the new relationship had affected their eating habits and reported some dietary convergence. However, men and women reported partly dissimilar changes. The ma-terial consisted of five categories describing the justifications given for decisions of joint meals. To describe the food roles of the couples, the material also included a category pair: a food director and a spouse. All in all, men described their cooking in hobby terms while women tended to restrict their eating. Male food directors accentuated the pleasure of eating and cooking. Female food directors brought out a variety of food ideologies and occasionally perceived everyday cooking as a burden. Sharing food work was appreciated, either as an occurring practice or as a wish. As a key conclusion, it can be said that in a new relationship, the role of food and food practices will be emphasized and they will gain meanings of pleasure and restriction, individuality and connection as well as power and responsibility. The food directorship partly follows and partly challenges the genders’ relationship to food and food practice. The satisfying division of food labour is not only a matter of time spent, but of sharing the work burden and the restrictive nature of domestic work.