Cooking -- or domestic science as it was known in my day -- is no longer part of the set school curriculum, so girls (and boys) don't have the skills necessary to cook food from basic ingredients. They rely on processed and pre-packaged food and have no need to cook anything. But that's the fault of governments over the last 25 to 30 years (or even longer) in that they haven't stipulated or required schools to teach it.

Of course cookery skills are of no use whatsoever if you can't afford to buy the basic ingredients in the first place. Cooking with an empty pan will not produce an enticing meal, unless you have a vivid imagination.