Between 1886 and 1920, American suffragettes published around a half-dozen cookbooks. This may seem a strange choice of subject for women who were dedicated to achieving the vote but these books had an important political message.
Those in the anti-suffrage movement, who opposed giving women the vote, often argued that, if enfranchised, women would neglect their domestic duties in the home. They portrayed suffragettes as masculine, unable to find husbands and generally useless at keeping a house.
By releasing cookbooks, then, suffragettes directly attacked this message. It demonstrated that they were perfectly capable of attending to their domestic duties and caring for their families. Suffragettes wanted to show the doubters that good housekeeping and having a political voice went hand-in-hand.
To quote the Washington Women's Cookbook (published in 1909):
"Give us the vote and we will cook
The Better for a wide outlook."
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