Discussions on gender equality often sound like women are asking for more but they are not, said an internationally acclaimed pastry chef from the UK.
“We are not asking for more. We are asking not to have less than what men have,” said Sarah Hartnett.
She was speaking on Women chefs of today: Breaking the male bastion at an online conference earlier this week.
“I don’t want more and I don't want to be treated differently because I am a woman. I wanted to be treated the same even though I am not a man,” she said.
Her thoughts resonated with many at the conclave, some younger than her and some older, as they shared their stories of men around them, in families and in workplaces.
They were speaking at the IIHM Global Conference on Women in Hospitality, organised by the International Institute of Hotel Management to celebrate Women’s Day.
The focus of the conference was United Nations’ SDG (sustainable development goals), of which goal No. 5 is gender equality.
The conference comprised six sessions. Each focused on a different aspect of women’s leadership in hospitality, with speakers who logged in from different time zones.
Some of the topics were female entrepreneurship in developing countries, diversity and inclusion in the hospitality industry, creating a gender neutral workplace, women’s leadership and career progression.
The speakers were women who are heads of companies, some in senior managerial positions and some at the threshold of stepping into the industry.
“We have seen women excel in this industry. Whether being an entrepreneur, chef or educator, women have always outdone men in this industry. We want more young women to join the hospitality industry,” said Suborno Bose, founder, IIHM and the force behind the conference.
“It’s a paying and global industry and we have seen women do incredible work in it,” said Bose.
He told The Telegraph that all male chefs in the world admit that they had learnt cooking from their mother or grandmother.
“Women always excelled in the home kitchen and are excellent cooks at home.... The only reason why there are more male chefs in the industry, in restaurants and hotels is sometimes the job means long hours and, odd timings... Now, more and more women are coming into the industry and excelling,” Bose told The Telegraph.
Hartnett spoke about the difference a uniform makes. “You are not male and not female, you are a chef. And you are at work,” she said.
The road ahead is long but achievable for every woman, said Jyoti Mayal, president of Travel Agents’ Association of India.
“Women are breaking glass ceilings and coming into leadership roles. They are making positive changes in the hospitality industry, encouraging a more inclusive and diverse work culture,” said Mayal.
She said women have always been used to multi-skilling and the social stigma of working in a hotel at night or being scared of stepping out at night are challenges that women have been able to overcome.
Hospitality educationist David Foskett set the tone of the conference at the outset.
“Let us celebrate the role of women in hospitality and thank the women who have been pioneers, who have really taken up the challenge to become senior managers in our industry. How much they have given to our industry and how much we can learn from them,” Foskett said.