I've got the children to tend
The clothes to mend
The floor to mop
The food to shop
Then the chicken to fry
The baby to dry
I got company to feed
The garden to weed
There are many clues to the setting of ‘Woman Work’ within the poem itself. For example, the protagonist says that she will prepare fried chicken for the family’s next meal. “Deep South Fried chicken” is a dish common in the southern states of America. 
 When it was introduced to the American South, fried chicken became a common staple. Later, as the slave trade led to Africans being brought to work on southern plantations, the slaves who became cooks incorporated seasonings and spices that were absent in traditional Scottish cuisine, enriching the flavor. Since most slaves were unable to raise expensive meats, but generally allowed to keep chickens, frying chicken on special occasions continued in the African American communities of the South. 

Woman Work