The quickest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. As much as I hate gender stereotypes, especially those about women, there is one particular stereotype that I believe in: a woman’s ability to know her way around a kitchen.

For decades, and probably centuries, a woman has been measured by how well she can maintain a household by cooking, cleaning, reproducing and supporting her husband.

In fact, early scientists believed that women were incapable of learning and retaining information and that education would hinder a woman’s ability to reproduce.

Somehow knowledge affects our reproductive organs. Right, that makes sense. I digress.

As a woman, I am proud to see how far we’ve come over the years. I agree that women should have the right to be the CEO of a company and they should be given the choice whether or not to marry or how many children to have. 

However, I believe that a woman should know how to maintain a household. That means cooking, ladies.

There is nothing degrading about being able to make your man’s mouth water when you pull a fresh lasagna out of the oven. There is nothing degrading about being able to talk on the phone, whip a meringue into submission and watch HGTV at the same time, all while looking fabulous.

It seems that people have gone so far right on the spectrum of gender equality that many people believe staying home to take care of your house and your children is something to be ashamed of.

Every woman should be given the opportunity to excel in school and in the workplace, but that does not mean taking care of a family is for weak, idiotic women.

It’s a tough job to be a mom and take care of a family, judging by my mother and grandmothers. You don’t get paid to be a parent, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less difficult than running a Fortune 500 company.

Hence, every woman should know how to cook a meal, shop for groceries, create a budget, clean a house, keep her children in line and keep her husband happy.

I realize that these ideas are a little misplaced in today’s day and age, but what can I say – I’m an old soul.

To all the women out there who claim they burn water, make friends with the Food Network and always have a fire extinguisher at the ready.

Trust me, when you reach the skill level to bake a perfect pie and a man-catching lasagna, you’ll thank me.

Don’t get me wrong, women should still get an education and strive to get a career. But ultimately, they should learn self-confidence and do what makes them feel fulfilled as a woman.

Women, keep dreaming and keep following those dreams until you reach them, but don’t ever be ashamed of wanting the simple things in life, because there is nothing, and I mean nothing, wrong with winning a man’s heart with a freshly-baked pie.

Column by Madison Wepfer, Assistant Features Editor