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Fed up of Sexism in the Kitchen? #MeToo
I’ll begin by saying that the tide is changing. The conventional, outdated and downright dull view of gender within the food industry is slowly but surely being washed up. Season 6 of Chef’s Table is 50% directed by women, with 50% female chefs, there is a rise in female specific media platforms and in recent news, a proposed bill would require training restaurant employees in Illinois to undergo sexual harassment training . However, despite the #MeToo movement exposing former culinary titans of their illegal (yes, sexual harassment is illegal) behaviour, and important influencers in the industry such as the late, great Anthony Bourdain headlining and championing women’s voices, we are still so far off from rinsing the sexism out of our dirty tea-towels for good.
My transition from working in professional kitchens to working for myself full-time highlighted to me that the problem isn’t with the food industry exclusively but a far greater problem with our inherently sexist culture. Of course, the industry does have a problem; sexual harassment is more common in the restaurant space than in any other industry, according to the Harvard Business Review . As many as 90% of women and 70% of men in the industry have reported some form of sexual harassment. I’ve had my own experiences, I’ve heard and read plenty others to truly understand how sexual harassment overshadows everything…
