Just 18.5% of chefs in the UK are women and that figure is down from the previous year, and while the number of chefs employed in the UK grew by over 20,000 last year, the number of women working as chefs has declined by 1000 in the same period.
Research from hospitality recruiter, The Change Group also showed that just one in eight applicants for London chef jobs is a woman. The recruiter also undertook a survey of over 500 female chefs and found almost two in five women chefs (37%) were not planning to stay working as a chef for the foreseeable future.
Craig Allen, director of The Change Group, said: “Our research shows that women chefs are really passionate about their career and have a very positive attitude to their workplace. Some women chefs even see being female as an advantage even if they are very much still in the minority in the professional kitchen. However, their numbers are clearly dwindling overall.
“Over a third of the women chefs who took part in our survey are either already planning to stop working as a chef or unsure as to what they will do. They told us the hours are too long, the pay is too low, it’s hard to juggle a family and they don’t necessarily like the working environment.
“Given the continuing dire chef shortage, it is a huge concern that we are potentially putting off female talent. Employers need to look at how to offer greater flexibility to enable both men and women to juggle work and family, and potentially tailor roles to make it easier for women to become and stay chefs.”
Despite the male domination, the survey revealed a mixed picture in terms of the positives of being a female chef. Whilst almost one third (32 per cent) said being a woman had affected her career negatively, around the same number think being female does not make any difference. In fact, around one in six female chefs interviewed felt being a woman is an advantage: they said they had been given more opportunities (31 per cent) and were treated with more respect (56 per cent).
Whilst over half of the women chefs who took part (51 per cent) were aged between 21 and 45, the key age group for starting a family, only one in four have children. This could perhaps explain why 52 per cent said that more flexible working hours would make it easier for women to pursue their career as a chef long term, as well as career opportunities specifically designed for working mothers (66 per cent).
Overall, being a female chef is seen as a good thing. When asked, a resounding 72 per cent said they would advise other women to become chefs, and 63 per cent want to work as a chef for the long term.