Why are there so few women chefs

[whatisforteamum]

When I started work as a chef in the 80s it was a male dominated world.I have been the only woman most of the places I have worked.
Recently my company released some adverts and yet again the chefs where men.My boss pointed out most of our sites have male chefs.
I don't understand why.Is.It the culture or the long hours.Surely women can cook as well as men.Why do you think not many women are chefs ?

Do women view it as a man's job?

The long hours not being conducive to family life.

Fair enough.

I'm a chef and have always found it to be a very sexist trade i think that I've had 2 female colleagues in the kitchen who weren't kps in the last 25 years and it's getting worse as many businesses don't want a woman due to maternity leave and perceived childcare issues, funny how they never consider it as an issue for men and paternity leave

Long hours, sexist culture and the idea that women are good enough to do all the cooking at home but being a super special adored chef should be only for men.

As you know, it's a mans world with overbearing male egos overflowing everywhere. I've always assumed that there are few women prepared to play handmaiden to it while working their way up.

Really unsociable hours? Makes it hard to do the huge burden of unpaid care and wife work.

For my DD it was the perceived aggression and stress in commercial kitchens. Maybe that's wrong, but that's what she had seen on TV. As a teenage girl she really didn't want to be in such a hostile environment.

She got a job as a development chef in food production instead and is very happy, so maybe the women are just working in different sectors of the industry?

The atmosphere in a commercial kitchen can be horrendous. In no other job do you EXPECT to be yelled at. The pay is mostly shit and so are the hours

I was in kitchens for 12 years, the last three as a manager (all male team). The sexism is the worst, from the top managers down to the staff. Women just aren't taken seriously in that trade, its just noone reports the abuse for fear of being unemployed or labelled a snitch/princess. The hours are long, unsocialble and not conducive to family life and maternity leave will do a lot of damage to your reputation. Presenteeism is rife. Chefs tend to work till they drop, I myself have the long term health issues to prove it.

The hours are awful, and so is the pay. I don't know why anyone of either gender would want to do it, to be honest.

I worked in a kitchen when I was a student and found places loved having a woman in the kitchen - they seemed to find it refreshing as male chefs do tend to be rather depressing people. I think women don't do it because it's not considered to be very feminine, it's doesn't pay well and it's hard work. There's no lazing about, it's not conducive to family life, and there's frequent criticism. There's not much job security and women tend to be more risk averse. Lots of reasons really.

Because it's an industry that rewards arrogant, shouty, pushy bullies.

This is the kind of environment that typically puts women off trying to survive in. Especially trying to survive long enough to get near the top.

Because all the chef's i know, are arrogant and think they own the business. Will shout at their staff and can not take criticism well. İf a customer is not happy they do not believe it and take it as a personal attack. İ work in the sector and see it daily. The pay can be crap but the chef's i know earn a good salary for decent hours. But they are rude and aggressive and to be honest the few female chef's i know are just as bad. They show off and spend a lot of time showing off their creations on social media. İt's exhausting working with them sometimes. They want to be taken seriously but to be honest act like children with almighty tantrums. However i am hoping this isn't the case everywhere!

P.s not many women can cope with all of that and then most are expected to do wife work and child care too

For me it's the hours that don't blend with family life. Try finding a Chef role which fits around school hours or part time without evenings. It won't happen.

In no other job do you EXPECT to be yelled at

I work in investment banking and expect to be yelled and sworn at on a regular basis. As should anyone else joining the industry. Undeniably the pay is better though.

I work in a traditionally male job (flying.) I’ve concluded that the reason I’ve almost never experienced sexism at work is because all the sexist twats go into chef-ing. They bang on about the high pressure situation and women not being able to cope with such pressure, and I think it’s a cover for them not being able to regulate their own emotions and shoutiness. They can’t get a pavlova made on time? End of the world, tears, and threats against junior staff. We have a problem at work in the cockpit? You’d be sacked as out of control if we dealt with high pressure situations the way tv chefs do!

*In no other job do you EXPECT to be yelled at

I work in investment banking and expect to be yelled and sworn at on a regular basis.*

Ah yes - the City. Another place where it’s acceptable to yell. 🙄🙄 Both chefs and bankers could do with a lesson in calmness.

DD works in a Michelin starred restaurant (waiting staff). She says that there is one female chef and she is the only chef who doesn’t dip a spoon into the sauce, sip it, then use that spoon to ladle the food onto the plate. 🤢🤮🤢🤮

As far as I can tell, it seems obligatory for chefs to chainsmoke out the back during their breaks. Must be a male thing.

@edwinbear. How is the world of investment banking continuing during Covid? Are you all working from home, shouting at each other during zoom meetings?

Personally I would not work anywhere where people are regularly yelled at.

I agree with pps about the environment but I think it starts earlier with expectations. When I was young I would see boys produce a pretty average cake or meal and be met with 'you should be a chef!' Whereas a girl could produce similar or better and it was just considered a nice string to have to her bow. I hadn't thought about it for a long time but I definitely noticed similar when a lot of kids and young people got into baking over lockdown.

Family-unfriendly hours
Tolerance of low-level sexual harassment
Sexism

Women's success in life are typically measured by how happy their families, husbands, children, friends, etc. are with them. By the success of their relationships, basically.

A chef job, with its antisocial hours etc., makes it difficult for women to be successful in their relationships. So, women who do go into the job, will drop out over time, as their relationships start to suffer.

Plus it's shit pay usually. Being a chef has historically meant that the bad pay is made up for through drinking on the restaurant's tab, having access to waitstaff to harass/have affairs with, etc. Women don't typically benefit from those "perks" so they won't see the point.