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 ?

I'm a chef. Lucky enough to work Breakfast/Lunch in a hotel now to fit in with the kids.

I totally agree that's its not a family oriented job. Ive done 16 hour days before, leaving the house at 6am and then not home until midnight.

Theres very little flexibility for sickness and emergency leave. Teams are small and often already over worked.

In the 15 years I've worked as a chef, I can say I've maybe worked with 10 other female chefs and most have left to have kids.

In 37 years I've known 5 or 6 women.None have stayed with it.I am coming to the conclusion that the remainder of my life I may do something else as it is so restrictive.Perhaps a breakfast chef.
Once I worked seven months and didn't have the same day off as DH!.
Thank you all for taking the time to reply.

Theres actually a funny distribution of ability in all skills between the populations of men and women. Women are more likely to be average at skills. Men are more likely to be very bad or very good.

If anyone had actually managed to find sound criteria for defining what constitutes average or bad (which they haven't) and then been able to do a large enough statistical sample (which they haven't), I think we would still find that this isn't all that funny or odd at all. Young boys tend to have their achievements (even very modest ones) admired from a young age, they are constantly shown successful role models, and not distracted with keeping-the-family-happy emotional labour. It doesn't take my effort to imagine that this might make some lads push ahead and take up all the available space whilst it might encourage others to be lazy.

I am a female chef 😄

I'm quite lucky though in that the place I work is daytime hours so I start early but I'm home by 5/6pm. I don't have to work Christmas or Easter.

It is hard work, crazy stressful and not very well paid but I do get satisfaction out of a meal made well and enjoyed by the customers, I get a lot of compliments on my baking and I honestly don't mind the sexual innuendos and banter - in fact some of the time I quite enjoy it and join in! I have set days so no shift work and that makes it much nicer to do the job as you can plan things in life around it. The adrenaline of a fast paced service can be quite fun 😊

I haven't personally had many bad experiences in terms of sexism, apart from a few arrogant arseholes being extremely patronising but hey ho.

I don't want to do this forever though. I won't work in a proper restaurant again either, namely for the reasons everyone has stated (hours and lack of a work/life balance).

Oh, I also don't smoke and never drink at work! I don't take drugs either 😊

Ah Lemononachair that is nice.I agree you cant.beat the rush of a.busy service.Chefs are adrenaline junkies for sure.😀

Shit hours, shit pay and every chef I worked for thought he was Gordon Fucking Ramsay when his actual talents stretched to putting frozen things in a) the deep fat fryer b) the microwave or c) under the grill.

Far too much cocaine, too much shouting, swearing and throwing of knives (never their own, though) for me to think anything other than Fuck this Shit.

Oh dear.Sorry but not entirely surprised to hear that MitziK.

@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 ?

It’s totally bullshit and relies on the formal workforce. In most UK Asian and South Asian restaurants (not the ones you eat in, but the takeaway, catering, and delivery places that form most of this market) the chefs are women. They just aren’t called chefs.

Theres a programme on ITV about the Savoy. This week's edition had Gordon Ramsay, consultant chef presumably, visit to sample some food and humiliate the staff. The Maitre D' was asked to carve a roast duck at the table. Hacked it to bits, cue intense embarrassment for him and smirking all round from assorted staff complete with Ramsay insults. I assumed the staff hate him and made sure he got a useless knife for the job. Nevertheless I did wonder who would choose to spend their working life in such a relentlessly blokey atmosphere- kitchen specifically, not hotel. Most women would take one look at the adolescent masculinity and leave.

Longwayoff.I saw that.Yes there is a lot of one upmanship and constantly watching that you are not thrown under the bus.I do try quite hard to stay one step ahead and check my own prep etc.

Im a chef and its still so much a male dominated industry. Its long hard hours in uncomfortable working conditions, its stressful, and its not very rewarding.

I am a private chef now and do a lot of freelance work in people's homes and holiday rentals. I love it.

I worked as a chef when I was about 18 but for various reasons never finished my NVQs. Decided to have a career change in my late 20s or early 30s, found a college course and a job in a restaurant that served beautiful, quality food with menus that changed monthly. It was nothing like the aggressive shouty testosterone-and-coke-fuelled places I'd worked when I was younger, the head chef/owner was lovely and tolerated no nonsense or nastiness in his kitchen and treated everyone with respect. However the hours were shit, the pay was shit and I was constantly knackered, split shifts don't really allow you to have much of a life, I had opposite days off to my husbad and friends and I got tired of it very quickly. I gave it a couple of years, did my L3 in patisserie as well, went to work in a cafe/cake shop thinking that daytime hours would be better, but realised that it's still exhausting work for very little reward and I wanted the security of a pension, sick pay and a decent salary. So I jacked it in and went back to corporate life. No regrets at all.

A guy I worked with back when I was about 18 and went to college with ended up doing very well in the trade and appeared on Great British Menu. He's a head chef of a very nice restaurant now. He always got such a buzz from a busy service and had the right sort of personality for it - I'm not surprised he's done so well. I do really think it's very dependent on the type of person you are whether you're cut out for it or not - I wasn't.

DH used to be a chef in Michelin starred restaurants and worked 18 hours a day, sometimes 6 days a week. He stopped so we could have a family.

To be honest, very few women or men can hold down personal lives with a job as a chef. The divorce rates is very high. I think times are changing actually and a lot of what used to be acceptable no longer is.

DH still worked in food but earns 3 times the salary for less than half the hours. It was a great experience for him but he’s glad he got out when he did.

That is a good outcome for you winnietp.😀I do agree personality and passion have a lot to do with it.!my DS thinks I love working and I am a driven person which is a good example to my now adult dcs.
I love a split shift now as.before we just had an hour off in 12.Cutbacks have reduced my hours by about 10 a week.

Good luck @whatisforteamum, you must have the patience of a saint. I wouldnt last at all in a heated shouty environment, I'm far too bad tempered, there would definitely be blood on the carpet before the end of a shift. Thanks to all of you chef/cooks who cook so we dont have to 🥂

Longwayoff.Thank you.😀😁

I suspect the shouting, swearing aggressive environment may have had its day in many places. Still going for those who think its the thing.

Not a chef but like to eat and ardent follower of cooking shows. From what you see there seems to be a growing number of chefs rejecting the confrontational side. There was one where an older head chef was saying that when he started the other chefs would turn their backs on you so you couldn't see what they were doing. He hated the idea of being secretive and all his team needed to know the dishes on the menu. He also banned shouting and swearing (other than shouting out the orders at service). His kitchen seemed busy yet relaxed. Quite a few chefs on the box seem to be going down this route perhaps Ramsey and co will catch up some day.

Doesn't help with the hours though.

It is the hours.

While childcare remains predominantly a female role then few women will want to work chef hours- and it wil remain a male environment.
My OH is an ex chef, 2am finishes were usual, meaning sleeping until 10am the next morning.
Not compatable with children , school runs etc.