We’ve been excited recently to see the uplift in events, networking, support, and wider recognition for the many strong women in the hospitality industry. It’s well known that, though rewarding, this is a challenging industry to work in, with long and often anti-social hours. Although the times are changing, it still often falls on women in the family to take on the role of primary care giver, so for many who wish to raise a family, demanding industries with long hours are not a practical option.
Once dominated by men (think of the classical ‘great chefs’ of the past! How few of them were women) the industry is becoming more balanced over time, and industry associations are springing up to support this.
Females in Food is “a global community of empowered women in the food & beverage industry, building successful businesses and living lives they love”. They provide membership and mentoring services, events, and a member directory to find other likeminded female professionals. Whilst targeted at women who own their own food and beverage business (we can think of numerous female ‘foodpreneur’ businesses, particularly in the healthy eating and events spaces!) we look forward to seeing it grow into a major industry resource in the future. Another organisation, Women in Hospitality aims to organise events to bring together females in the industry.
Hospitality, from food and drink to events and tourism, is a creative and passionate industry. With every crafted cocktail, tidbit of wine advice, creative menu item or overnight experience you are sharing your creativity, knowledge, conviviality, and warm welcome with known guests and strangers. Excellent experiences in hospitality come from that generous reception and enjoyable journey. From that perspective, it seems an industry that should be embraced by both the modern and traditional view of women, and can only go from strength to strength as greater awareness and acceptance increases gender diversity in the industry.
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