Remembering the Calor Gas Housewife of the Year Competition

Housewife of the Year was an Irish pageant that ran from 1968 to the mid-1990s. 

Initially sponsored by the Electricity Supply Board and others, Calor Gas took over in 1978.  

The competition involved live interviews and cooking demonstrations. Contestants were asked about their lives, including how they met their husbands and how many children they had, while simultaneously preparing a meal. Candidates were then judged on the basis of “cookery, nurturing and basic household management skills.” 

A series of regional heats produced six finalists. The main task in the final was cooking a meal for four within a two-hour period. The host would then interview the contestants, with personality, appearance, sense of humour, interests and civic spirit all taken into account by the judges. Contestants would also list achievements, such as charity work.

The main prize for the winner was often a Calor gas cooker, along with cash and other rewards.  

It might seem like a relic of the past but dismissing it entirely would mean overlooking the unique glimpse it offers into the lives of Irish women during those decades. 

This talk introduces a new research project led by Trish McTighe, Shonagh Hill (QUB Drama), Gemma Carney (QUB Sociology) and Livi Dee (QUB History) which delves into the Housewife of the Year competition. Through interviews with former participants the project sheds light on the competition’s cultural significance and the different ways it shaped (and reflected) women’s lives in Ireland. 

Photo credit: RTÉ