This article contains spoilers for the second series of The Bear.
The Michelin star chef Marco Pierre White said in 2019: “The real positive with men [in professional kitchens is] they are not as emotional, and they don’t take things personally.” While he credited women with having a better sense of smell, and for being consistent and punctual, he said: “Men can absorb pressure better in busy moments.”
I reflected a lot on this statement while researching and writing my book Hysterical: Exploding the myth of gendered emotions, about how the long history of women being perceived as “emotional” has disadvantaged them and kept them out of certain domains.
When it comes to the domain of top flight kitchens, we see this real world issue reflected in the hit series The Bear. Now in its third season, the show follows an unconventional crew of cooks at a Chicago sandwich shop as it transforms under the vision of Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White).
Leaving behind an illustrious career in Michelin-starred kitchens, Carmy returns to Chicago when his brother dies by suicide. Carmy wants more and, spurred on by equally passionate sous chef Sydney Adamu (Ayo Edebiri), the business makes the jump from sandwich shop to fine dining.
As we see in The Bear, professional kitchens are a domain where there are fewer women at the top level than men – despite........