Is a Woman’s Place in the Kitchen? Women’s Perception of Their Role in Society: Georgian Context
Mariana Papashvili

Based on qualitative research, this paperfocuses on women’s perception of their role andexamines the following issues: (1) how do womenconceptualise their roles in the family and society?(2) what linguistic strategies do Georgian womenuse while describing their roles?The main method employed during the datacollection process was interviewing focusgroups employing open-ended questionnairesregarding women’s perceptions of their rolein Georgian society1. Specifically, twenty-fivewomen (age of 25 - 65) from different regionswith different educational levels, careers,and relationship statuses participated in theinterview2. The questionnaire was introducedto the focus groups, and the interviews wererecorded. The analysis of the research materialsbased on qualitative methods (Silverman, 2005)(interviews, focus groups, observations, audiorecordings of the discourse) yielded interestingresults.Based on the analysis of questionnaires andinterviews, linguistic features regarding thewomen’s stereotypical perceptions of their role in Georgian society wererevealed. Specifically, results describe women as subordinated, culturallyconstrained members of society. The data also reveal the attitudes of wom-en to their roles in Georgian culture and discuss social statuses, obligations,and commitments that build up a woman’s image in Georgian society.As a result of the analysis of the interviews, different perceptions ofwomen’s roles emerged, namely, those of a “good mother”, “housewife”,“dignified, respectable woman,” etc.3The main challenges to the women’s perception of their role in societyare the empowerment of women, solidarity in society, adjustment of jobsboth in the capital of the country and the regions.