i read an article by an indian economist in the economic times of india website recently which argued that india’s low rates of refrigeration ownership were connected with a lower participation of women in the industrial workforce. it compared india with china, where higher refrigeration ownership was connected with a higher participation of women in the workforce. of course, this was not his full argument, there were other factors he considered, for example the availability of electricity.

but, it got me thinking. kitchen innovations make our time in the kitchen easier, and most importantly, shorter. for example the pressure cooker changed the way indian households made food; one could get the same results as the traditional “low and slow” methods in a fraction of the time. it is truly a ubiquitous appliance in india, found in pretty much every household from the big cities to the small villages. given women’s relationship with domestic industrial labor, and the overall increasing trend of working hours in countries such as india, how does the development of kitchen appliances relate to women’s economic status? does anyone have any readings on this?