Congratulations to Mary Phipps who successfully defended her PhD on Friday, March 27, 2015. Mary's thesis is entitled: "From housewife to domestic goddess and beyond: an exploration into the significance of women's role as food providers in a contemporary Irish context."
Thirty eight people participated in the research the purpose of which was to explore women's role as food providers in contemporary Ireland. Focus groups, in-depth interviews, participant observation and food diaries were used to determine how the food provider role is perceived and negotiated in families and what factors influence and impact on how food provisioning is carried out. The study provides evidence that food work takes place in the context of social change and growing gender equality in both public and private spheres. Yet a legacy from the past is that women in Ireland retain the main responsibility for food provision in families. In particular the thesis argues "that women are influenced by the past and their responsibility for food work is implicated in idealised images of women's gendered association with caring labour." The study reveals the dispositions of Irish mothers in relation to food, its provenance, provision and associated practices of production and consumption.