Women in the profession

There is no doubt that there is no given date that determinates the moment when women began in the profession. Indeed, over the centuries, there have always been women working in restaurants, bars and coffee shops.

Inequalities

As a result, it can be said that they are completely part of the profession. There are even some countries where they are more numerous than men. However, statistics show that some inequalities exist between waitresses and waiters. Of course the situation differs per country but generally speaking, women have more difficulties than men to rise up the social scale of the restoration industry. For example, it is rare to find a woman-sommelier. It seems like there are still some jobs that are ‘’booked’’ for men. Some Macho men will even argue that the profession does not suit women because it is a physical one (you have to run, carry heavy trays and stay up all the daylong) but there is no doubt that women bring to the profession some other qualities that are less natural to men. However, the profession can obviously happen to be difficult for a woman, especially for example during pregnancy.

In France, the famous song ‘’La complainte de la serveuse automate’’ which was written in 1978 for the rock-opera ‘’Starmania’’ describes well the feeling of that waitress - who describes herself as a ‘’robotic waitress’’ – doing all day the same actions without seeing the daylight and saying ‘’I can no longer feed myself”: http://lyrics.wikia.com/Starmania:La_Complainte_De_La_Serveuse_Automate/en

Tips

As regards to tips it is not proven that women receive more tips than men even if a general feeling like this exists. The inequalities are more present among women themselves: some surveys have shown that waitresses with big boobs and blond hair tip better.

Clichés

Indeed, waitresses have always suffered from a pejorative cliché which tends to state that ‘’waitresses are easy to ask out or to pick up’’. Moreover, waitresses who are victims of sexual harassment at work are numerous and many of them often fill for law suit.

E.g – in the UK, a Muslim cocktail waitress who quit after refusing to wear a ‘sexy’ dress has won almost £3,000 in compensation for sexual harassment.

In the USA, a former waitress at a Double T Diner in Anne Arundel County recently filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit in federal court against the restaurant chain and the son of one of its owners, alleging she was subjected to sexual advances, gropings and graphic profanity.

This cliché is all the more unfair than it tends to forget that waitresses have sometimes played a role in the history and have fought to move the mentalities forward and break down the barriers: In Bagdad for example, after having dreamed of it during a few years - when Iraq was gripped by sectarian violence - a group of women have eventually recently succeeded to open a coffee shop with an all-female waiting staff.

Lastly, like men - or maybe more than men – their attire has evolved those last years and has become more casual.

Women in Waiters Races, the famous Course des garçons de café

In recent years, professional organizations and unions of the restoration industry have done a great job in order to valorize women in the profession. Their admission and adhesion to the waiters races is only one of those proofs.

It is not obvious to determine when women began to participate to waiters races. The oldest picture that I’ve found is a picture which was taken in 1936, showing waitresses from the restaurant Lyons in London participating to a waiter’s race. However, it seems like after the war during the 50’, their participation has became more popular. (click on the following links to see pictures of that time: http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/3380465/Hulton-Archive ; http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/3163041/Hulton-Archive)

The waiter race has also adapted itself to women: in most of the races, they have their own division giving them the same chances than men to win. In some other waiters races, they are running with men however they will have less elements on their tray or that the rules will be less strict with them.

Women running during the 2010 Hong Kong Waiters Race

In order to complete that article we will be happy to get feedbacks and reactions of waitresses - who love or not – their job and who would like to share their experience, stories and feelings. So please do not hesitate to comment that article or to contact us and tell us your story!

Photo from Seattle Municipal Archives