KITCHEN PERSPECTIVE OF HOMEMAKERS

Home Science

Research Paper

E-ISSN No : 2454-9916 | Volume : 2 | Issue : 12 | Dec 2016

KITCHEN PERSPECTIVE OF HOMEMAKERS

1

Mrs. Sajida Sultana | Dr. Chitra Prakash 1 2

2

Assistant Professor, PG and Research Department of Home Science, JBAS College for Women, Chennai.

Professor, Department of Resource Management, Avinashilingam University, Coimbatore.

ABSTRACT The aim of the present investigation was to analyze the views of the homemakers on their choice of kitchen design. The study was a survey conducted among 500 homemakers using conventional kitchens and 500 homemakers using modular kitchen in Chennai city. The tool used was a questionnaire which was framed by the investigator. Chi Square test and percentage analysis were the statistical techniques used for analyzing the data. From the survey, it was found that majority of homemakers preferred to have more freedom in many decisions pertaining to design of kitchens. It could be concluded that homemakers using conventional kitchen had been lacking facilities in comparison with modular kitchens.

KEYWORDS: Modular Kitchen, Conventional Kitchen, Kitchen design.

Introduction: The Indian kitchens are reshaping today as the cosmopolitan population embraces a modern consumption fuelled lifestyle (Prasad,2011). Gone are the days when the kitchen was a small room stuck behind the living room, lacking lustre and boring, filled with stark white cabinets. Kitchen serves a crucial role in a household, but that doesn't mean that they have to be designed for functionality alone; there is always a way to find balance between style and function. The kitchen truly is the heart of the home and the hub of the household. The advent of modern lifestyle is on the rise, with kitchen finally getting the recognition it deserved. The modern kitchen needs to be convenient and labour saving opines Gopalan (2003).

Kitchen is the nerve centre and the most important premises of any home and is considered as a place of worship where the Fire God resided and nourished the whole family (Lagomarsino, 2004).The traditional kitchen has undergone many changes leading to conventional kitchen (Mathen, 2011). A conventional kitchen is an area within a structure designed for preparation , cooking and has provision for sink, stove, oven and refrigerator in the same room (Barret, 2013). A modern residential kitchen is equipped with stove, sink, refrigerator and kitchen cabinets according to modular design. They are usually designed to suit the customer's preference as per the space available in the kitchen as stated by modular kitchen market research report (2014).

Chaudhary (2004) pointed out that kitchen centres height was not according to the need of the homemakers. High work counters caused shoulder pain and low counters caused back pain. Deeper the depth of the counter more the bending is required to reach for the item. High reach surfaces tend to exert pressure on the arms and shoulder to make adjustment to reach the height. Such adjustment cause unnecessary fatigue (Nickel and Dorsey,2002).

According to an online study on Traditional Kitchen (2013), the Indian kitchen scenario showed women squatting on the floor to use the kitchen and wearing of footwear inside the kitchen was not allowed. The ritual of taking bath before entering the kitchen was followed. Washing hands and sitting on the floor with legs crossed for eating meals everyday and during festivals was practiced. Purity was highly emphasised. The cooking stoves were coated with cow dung and plastered with local clay (Pinto,1989).The traditional vessels used for cooking as well as for eating were made of clay, copper, brass and iron,. The South Indian homemakers used Ami and ural made of stone for grinding the ingredients instead of the electronic devices. The pre-preparation of ingredients involved a lot of skill in the manual labour which took the homemaker's time and energy says Ratnakumar and Venkataramaiah (1996) Materials and Methods: Selection of Samples: One thousands samples of homemakers were selected, out of which 500 homemakers using conventional kitchen and 500 homemakers using modular kitchens were identified and selected for the survey. Questionnaire was framed by the investigator which was the tool used for the study.

Results and discussion: Opinion of the homemakers on the existing kitchen Percentage analysis was used to compute the opinion the homemakers on their existing kitchen which is presented in Table 1.

Table 1: Opinion on the Existing Kitchen Opinion

Conventional Kitchen Modular Kitchen N=500

%

N=500

%

Floor space (for only 2 people)

412

82.4

93

18.6

Economical to construct

410

82.0

363

72.6

Comfortable to work Easy to maintain

347 258

69.4 51.6

115

23.0

Flexible

181

36.2

394

78.8

Easy to Control pest

143

28.6

351

70.2

Sufficient Cabinet Space

125

25.0

451

90.2

Well designed

29

5.8

319

63.8

Provision for Electronic gadgets/ and Appliances

15

3.0

457

91.4

Costly to construct

13

2.6

462

92.4

Prestige issue

-

-

425

85.0

*multiple responses The opinion of the homemakers on the existing kitchen using conventional and modular kitchen differed. Nearly 82 percent of the conventional kitchen users cited that there was floor space for only two persons to work at the same time in the kitchen and around 69 percent of the homemakers were using conventional kitchen as it was economical to construct. Almost half the homemakers (51percent) were finding conventional kitchen easy to maintain.

Regarding the opinion on the modular kitchen a majority of 92 percent expressed that it was expensive. At the same time provision for electronic appliances (91 percent) and sufficient floor space were the positive points mentioned by the homemakers. Possessing a modular kitchen was also considered as a status symbol by 85 percent of the homemakers.

Kitchen usage Percentage analysis and Chi-square test was used to compute the association between present duration of kitchen usage and the type of kitchen and the results are presented in Table2.

Table 2: Duration of Kitchen Usage by the Homemakers Number of years Less than 2 years

Conventional Kitchen

Modular kitchen

N=500

%

N=500

%

81

16.2

318

63.6

2– 4 years

96

19.2

62

12.4

4 – 6 years

140

28.0

62

12.4

Above 6 years

183

36.6

58

11.6

Chi-Square Level of Value significance

77.618

p<0.01

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Research Paper

E-ISSN No : 2454-9916 | Volume : 2 | Issue : 12 | Dec 2016

It could be noted from Table -5, that nearly 36 percent of the homemakers were using the conventional kitchen for more than 6 years and 63.6 percent of the homemakers were using the modular kitchen for less than 2 years. Statistically significant association was observed between the number of years of kitchen usage and the type of kitchen used by the homemakers at p<0.01level (X2=77.618). Modular kitchen is a status symbol of the present style and is gaining importance. However the usage of Modular kitchen had been popular among the selected samples Homemaker's participation on kitchen designing and their experience with kitchen Percentage analysis and Chi Square Test was computed to associate the participation of the homemakers in designing kitchen and satisfaction experienced in using their respective kitchen and the results presented in Table 3.

Table 3: Homemaker's Participation in Kitchen Designing Participation of Conventional Kitchen Homemakers on Kitchen Designs N=500 %

Modular kitchen N=500

%

Yes

115

23.0

402

80.4

No

385

77.0

98

19.6

Experiences with Kitchen

76.93 p<0.01

Views of the Homemakers on their kitchens Percentage analysis on the rating scale of strongly agree, agree and disagree was used to compute the views of the homemakers of conventional and modular kitchen and the results are presented in Table 5.

Table 5: Views of the Homemakers on their Existing Kitchens Views of the homemakers

Consult before planning a kitchen design

90.0

68.0

13.0

96.0

4.0

-

Freedom in selecting materials and accessories

87.0

57.0

14.0

94.0

2.0

4.0

Deciding work height

85.0

15.0

-

100.0

-

-

Storage provision

73.0

48.0

-

97.0

3.0

-

73.0

48.0

-

97.0

3.0

-

p<0.01

Satisfied

200

40.0

485

97.0

Partially Satisfied

59

11.8

15

3.0

Kitchen arrangement

Not Satisfied

241

48.2

-

-

*multiple responses

Statistically significant association was observed between the homemaker's participation in kitchen designing and the type of kitchen at p<0.01 level (X2=164.039). The opportunity of participating in kitchen designing has direct association with the employment and educational level of the homemakers.

Almost three forth of the homemakers using conventional kitchen had no participation in their kitchen designing compared to 80.4 percent using modular kitchen who had contributed their views to their kitchen design.

It is evident from the table that 48.2 percent of conventional kitchen users were not satisfied with their kitchen when compared to homemakers (97percent) using modular kitchen who were satisfied with their kitchen. The homemaker's experiences with their kitchen and the type of kitchen at p<0.01 level (X2=76.93) was significant as the modular kitchen users were fully satisfied with their kitchen when compared to the conventional kitchen users.

Health problems of the homemakers The general health problems faced of the homemakers during kitchen activities is computed using percentage analysis and Chi Square test and the results are presented in the Table 4.

On an average 93 percent of the homemakers strongly agreed that kitchen is the priority for every women and the homemakers hold an important place in giving her views at the very stage of planning and designing the kitchen.

Eighty seven percent and 94 percent of the conventional and modular kitchen users had strongly agreed that the homemakers should be given freedom to select materials and accessories for the kitchen. A majority of 97 percent of modular kitchen users and 73 percent of conventional kitchen users had strongly agreed that homemakers should be provided with comfortable kitchen with sufficient storage provision. Since the kitchen design varies from individual to individual it is important to permit the homemaker to have a say in the kitchen design and planning to meet her needs and requirements REFERENCES: 1)

Barrett, J., Parsons, D., Starnes, D. W., &Neuman, B. (2013).Permit and Resource management department: policy and procedures, Retreived projreview/procedures/definition of a kitchen/definition of a kitchen final 12-3-122. Doc, January 8, 2013.

2)

Chaudhary, N. (2004). Standardization of work stations based on ergonomics, evaluations of existing kitchens and training. Unpublished m.sc Thesis ,G.B pant university of agriculture and technology, Pantnagar.

3)

Emmel, J., Beamish,J. & Parrott, K. (2005).kitchen activities of twenty first centuries American households, Housing and Society,32(2), 5-20.

4)

Lagomarsino.A. (2004). Kitchen album summary, Media space kitchen album summary, Arki.

5)

Mathen, R., (2011). Application of Ergonomics in Kitchen Designing - Indian Perspective. LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing, ISBN-10:3844394079

6)

http://www.franchiseindia.com/magazine/2008/april/Advent-of-modularkitchens_38-2-2/

Table 4: General Health Problems Faced by Homemakers in Kitchen Health Problems

Conventional Modular kitchen Kitchen

Discomfort N=500

%

N=500

%

Yes

395

79.0

98

19.6

No

105

21.0

368

73.6

293 110

22.0 58.6

Chi Square Value

Level of Significance

229.914

p<0.01

Musculo Skeletal Disorders Yes No

348 182

69.6 36.4

204.338

Modular Kitchen N-500

Percentage Percentage Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly Agree Disagree Agree Agree

ChiLevel of Square significance Value

164.039

Conventional Kitchen N-500

p<0.01

*multiple responses It is also observed that the homemakers using conventional kitchen had suffered more discomfort and musculo skeletal disorders in using their kitchens. Nearly 79 percent of the conventional kitchen users experienced more discomfort in comparison with 19.6 percent of the modular kitchen users. Statistically significant difference was observed between the discomfort faced by the homemakers in their kitchen and the kitchen design at p<0.01 level (X2 =229.914). The homemaker using modular kitchen were organised during meal preparation compared to homemakers using conventional kitchen.

Around 69.6 percent of the conventional kitchen users experienced musculo skeletal disorders in comparison with 58.6 percent of the modular kitchen users who faced comparatively less problem in their kitchen usage. Statistically significant difference was observed in the musculo skeletal disorders faced among the homemakers and the type of kitchen used by them at p<0.01 level (X2 =204.338). The reason for this difference could be due to the fact that modular kitchens were ergonomically designed within the required standard measurements especially in terms of reach height and located within easy reach from the cooking counters.

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