Compared to fifty or even twenty years ago, the success of women chefs today is staggering. However, there are still obstacles for aspiring young women even now. According to a recent poll, 91% of all executive chefs in the US are men. One problem here becomes apparent when you consider the average age of an executive chef: 28 years old. Women are faced with many important decisions as they approach 30, about whether to marry, to have children, to stay at home, etc.
In some lines of work, taking a hiatus to raise a family, or even working right through starting a family is not much of an issue. When a female chef considers her schedule, working from noon to midnight or later, never seeing her children awake, some feel they could not live this way and opt out of their careers. Conversely, many of the women chefs that stick to it, never end up having children because they never had time. Many who try to balance work and family life end up divorced or separated, their restaurants the only constant in their busy lives.
Part of the problem of women chefs as the 9% minority is related to male/female psychology. Obviously women have a stronger urge to listen to their maternal instincts, whereas men have an easier time putting their current success over any plans for a future family. But we can't overlook that the working world still has far to go for giving women equal opportunities and equal pay. The fact that male chefs are currently in power means they will continue to hire more male chefs, who will presumably cook like them. Once a woman gets her foot in the kitchen door, she must tiptoe to avoid the wrath of her male co-workers, who are all working toward higher positions. If she works her way up to executive chef she will be paid, on average, 20% less than the man she replaces. Finally, if she tires of working for "the man" and strikes out on her own, she'll discover that a new restaurant is a risky business for a woman. Our stereotype of the chef as a flamboyant male may influence some diners decisions on where to eat.