Tackling gender disparity in the Indian culinary industry

As women continue their pursuit to seek recognition and equal opportunities within their workplaces, a pertinent question that often comes up is why women are still excluded or overlooked in the professional kitchens.

Gender disparity is a glaring issue in the culinary industry.

This gender division has been attributed to the perpetuation of male and female domestic roles, a fact reached through the analysis of the data available on kitchen workplace cultures and by interviewing women chefs.

Cooking has been confined to being a duty for women while for men it’s a job that even pays them well. Research shows that men make up for 80 - 90% of chefs while women hold only 10% of executive chef positions, earning nearly 22% less as against their male counterparts.

As a result, the stereotypical male-dominated kitchen culture has led to females pursuing alternative careers paths.

Girls make up the majority of students in cooking classes, yet very few can be found in industry roles. This needs to change and more women need to be empowered to take up this line of work professionally — and not just be restricted to their home kitchens.

Feminisation of culinary work

Though the number of women is gradually rising in the cooking industry, there is still a lot of scope for improvement. There needs to be a focus on support and empowerment of the fairer sex, not only for the sake of the future generation of women chefs but for cooking and baking to move forward as an industry.

Bridging the gender gap

As long as women are restricted to the kitchen and continue to serve food as part of their duty in their homes, the present scenario will not change and the industry will never be able to introduce diversity in the field. Very few female chefs manage to create their own niche in the high-end Indian hotels, restaurants, and chefs due to the work environment dominated by men.

Transition from Cook to Chef

For how long will females continue to be a cook within the four-walls of their kitchens? Women need to be supported in their transitional journey from being a cook to becoming a professional chef. They need to be empowered to showcase their skills and potential, akin to their male counterparts in the industry.

Girls need to be encouraged to choose intensive training at hospitality schools to be chefs.

Capitalising on their talent, the culinary and bakery industry can forge ahead and be a well-rounded workplace with gender parity.

Eradicate ‘gendered food’

Surveys suggest that women generally prefer sweet dishes like chocolates, pastries, cakes, candies, and tarts. Men are taken to prefer comfort food, such as non-vegetarian meals, pasta, and beverages as well.

Women are often linked with femininity and foods like salads and desserts. On the other hand, males are associated with masculinity, with meats. This concept of associating genders with specific foods tends to further perpetuate the gender division in the culinary roles.

Ensuring greater equality

Cooking, caregiving, child rearing, and looking after all kinds of households are performed perfectly by the females in the family and are unpaid duties. For obvious reasons, because it is their daily job and they are expected to be true to everyone’s expectation in the family.

The household pressure at home and unfavorable work policies, such as long working hours at the workplace, lead to a fewer number of women chefs in the field.

Women need to be pushed to perform to the best of their ability by providing them with a conducive environment to grow.

By introducing women-friendly policies we can address the harsh realities of the industry, collectively. Women should not be forced to fit into the male-dominated kitchen culture. Rather they should be allowed to create a new culture for themselves and rise above the challenges. With more women chefs rolling in, the industry will prosper immensely in the times to come.

(The author is the founder of a culinary arts school)