Challenges for Women in Haute Cuisine
Throughout history, society has linked women to cooking in the domestic sphere, performing roles associated with caregiving and household tasks. However, professional cooking has traditionally been dominated by men. This inequality highlights the need to transform both labor and cultural conditions to advance towards gender equality in the field of haute cuisine.
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Between Domestic and Professional Cooking
Professional gastronomy reflects a historical division based on gender roles that persist today. This gap is evident in the differentiation between domestic and professional cooking supported by social norms. On one hand, home cooking has historically been linked to women as an extension of their family care roles. In contrast, professional cooking has been established as a predominantly male domain, legitimized by its public and commercial nature. This dichotomy has created systematic barriers that have limited women’s access and recognition in haute cuisine, perpetuating gender stereotypes and inequalities.
In relation to this, Larousse Cocina México (2022) reveals a concerning reality in the restaurant industry: 82% of restaurants worldwide are run by men, showing a marked disparity in leadership positions. Additionally, 70% of women who have managed to stand out in this sector have been victims of harassment or sexual violence.
Own elaboration. 82% of restaurants worldwide are managed by men
Larousse Cocina México (2022) adds that these behaviors not only affect the work environment but also become additional barriers, manifesting in discriminatory hiring practices and creating hostile work environments that hinder their professional development.
To demonstrate this gap, we decided to review the history of The Best Chef Awards Top 100 Ranking, which recognizes the best culinary proposals internationally. The data shows slow and insufficient progress: in 2017, only eight women were among the hundred best chefs, increasing to fifteen by 2023. Additionally, the incorporation of a category dedicated to teams in 2022 is evident, which aims to promote more collaborative approaches. These figures not only highlight the previously mentioned structural barriers but also emphasize the urgent need to transform the culture and organizational dynamics within professional haute cuisine.
Own elaboration based on The Best Chef Awards
The Glass Ceiling in Haute Cuisine
This scenario is related to the “glass ceiling” - that is, the invisible barriers that women encounter when trying to advance in their professional careers, showing a disproportion between men and women in leadership positions, built upon cultural, business, and political factors.
The low visibility of women in The Best Chef Awards ranking is not due to a lack of capabilities to position themselves at higher levels, but rather due to discriminatory structures in the sector and work-family reconciliation challenges, especially considering the extensive working hours in professional kitchens, organizational rigidity, and domestic and childcare responsibilities that traditionally fall on them.
This shows that the path towards gender equality, both in haute cuisine and other fields, is marked by significant challenges in building inclusive and recognition scenarios, free from prejudices and stereotypes. This process must guarantee women’s rights, address the diversity of factors that generate gender inequity in the workplace, and consider both the full exercise of these rights and subjective aspects within their personal development.
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Larousse Cocina, (2022). El machismo en el ámbito gastronómico: un secreto a voces /https://laroussecocina.mx/blog/el-machismo-en-el-ambito-gastronomico-un-secreto-a-voces/