Kerala Chief Minister V. D. Satheesan faced widespread backlash following his recent statement that mothers should pass down ancestral recipes to their daughters-in-law. Detractors swiftly condemned the remarks, arguing that they uphold regressive, patriarchal stereotypes and perpetuate unfair domestic expectations solely based on gender.
The controversy began during Satheesan’s Inaugural address at the Pampa Festival of Dialogues, a literary event held in Chengannur on Saturday. During his address at the function, Satheesan remarked that mothers should pass down traditional recipes and culinary practices to their children or future daughters-in-law to preserve cultural heritage.
“I have a grievance regarding certain mothers who possess a unique talent for cooking traditional dishes known only to them, yet fail to pass these recipes down to the next generation. They ought to, at the very least, hand down these culinary secrets either to their own children or to their future daughters-in-law. Doing so ensures that the distinct heritage of these dishes is preserved for years to come,” said Satheesan.
The comments quickly ignited social media backlash, with critics accusing Satheesan of targeting women to uphold family traditions and reinforcing traditional gender roles.
Critics, including social media users and political opponents, argued that focusing on “the son’s wife” reinforces the notion that cooking is a woman’s primary responsibility, perpetuating traditional gender roles. They argued this advice conflicts with the state’s efforts to promote gender-neutral education and shared domestic responsibilities.
It was criticized for being out of touch with modern, progressive views on gender equality and for imposing a patriarchal, domestic expectation on women. [
Senior CPM leader and former Kerala General Education Minister V. Sivankutty criticized the remarks, arguing they contradict the state’s educational push for gender equality. Sharing the speech clip on social media, he noted that Kerala’s revised curriculum actively encourages all children to share household chores regardless of gender.
Sivankutty highlighted that updated textbooks explicitly teach boys and girls to share domestic responsibilities instead of dividing them along traditional gender lines.
Writer S. Saradakutty criticized Satheesan’s remarks as patriarchal and out of touch with modern social values. In a social media post, she stated the Chief Minister’s perspective was stagnant and tied his comments to systemic gender inequality. To highlight her point, she referenced the recent women-led Jantar Mantar protests and shared a poem rejecting the passing down of domestic burdens to future generations of women.