Women Lead Food Service, But Not in Leadership Roles

Cancun, Quintana Roo — Women constitute more than half of the workforce in the food industry, yet they continue to face a significant gap in leadership positions and business ownership within the sector.

According to Perla Flores Navarro, president of the National Chamber of the Restaurant and Seasoned Food Industry (Canirac) Cancun, 55 percent of the workforce in gastronomy is made up of women, reflecting their fundamental role in the daily operation of restaurants and food services.

In areas of direct customer service, the female presence is even greater. It is estimated that 61 percent of service jobs in restaurants, such as waitresses, customer service staff, and cashiers, are held by women.

Likewise, their participation continues to grow in other areas that have historically been dominated by men, such as the bar, where 41.8 percent of bartender positions are now held by women.

A significant presence is also recorded in the kitchen area. In some independent restaurants, more than 55 percent of kitchen line positions may be occupied by women, demonstrating the progress of their participation at different levels of the gastronomic operation.

However, this broad presence is not reflected in the same way in decision-making spaces. Currently, only 25.7 percent of restaurant owners are women, while approximately 33 percent of management and senior management positions are held by them.

The gap is also seen in haute cuisine, where only 19 percent of chefs are women, even though they make up the majority of staff in food preparation and service.

"Promoting women in gastronomy is not only a matter of equality, it means strengthening one of the most important industries for tourism and the economy," Flores Navarro emphasized.

In this context, the industry leader acknowledges that there is still ample potential to increase female participation in restaurant ownership, leadership positions, and fine dining spaces. However, she also emphasized that the advancement of women in the food industry continues to strengthen gradually.