Really strange how this is painted as a gender issue, and the strict definition of "hobby" is strange too. What's the difference between a "hobby" and an "interest"? I know plenty of people who refer to cooking as their main hobby, and they seek out new recipes, buy new equipment because they want it, and experiment with new food all the time.
I also know far more dads who were gifted a tool set "so they can be handy around the house" than I know people gifted fridges. It's not something I know of people complain about, and it's not something I ever thought as being strange until I saw some people on the internet being enraged about giving women cooking equipment. As a person who never asks for anything in particular for Christmas or birthdays, a sharper new kitchen knife, a new pan, or a new (non-smart) fridge would be absolutely perfect. If I'd want anything, it's something I'll use daily, and if I'm sharing it with family, that's fine.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with loving to cook, regardless of gender. But women are often expected to cook, whether they like it or not, and women are often gifted things that help them take care of the house and family rather than things that are actually personal interests for them.
A big part of the difference in my mind is whether this is an expectation hung on them by other people and/or forced on them by circumstances versus something they genuinely want to do out of interest and enjoyment.
I'm a former homemaker. I did a lot of cooking while I was a military wife and homeschooling mom, but I don't actually like cooking. My oldest son took over the cooking when I got divorced and got a corporate job.
I've done a lot of reading to try to figure out how to make my life work. I was one of the top three students of my graduating high school class, a National Merit Scholarship winner, etc. No one expected me to be a homemaker for two decades, least of all me.
The ways in which sexism exclude women from some things and force other things upon them are often fairly subtle, which helps make the problem intractable.
I also know far more dads who were gifted a tool set "so they can be handy around the house" than I know people gifted fridges. It's not something I know of people complain about, and it's not something I ever thought as being strange until I saw some people on the internet being enraged about giving women cooking equipment. As a person who never asks for anything in particular for Christmas or birthdays, a sharper new kitchen knife, a new pan, or a new (non-smart) fridge would be absolutely perfect. If I'd want anything, it's something I'll use daily, and if I'm sharing it with family, that's fine.