All the women in the house...Put your hands up!
Being a bartender means understanding the art of drink mixing and turning oneself into a pro ‘Mixologist’ who transforms into a ‘Cocktailopedia’ with the immense knowledge of quantity and the quality that goes into each glass of a masterpiece called a Cocktail. A bartender’s job is to build a drink in such a passionate way that the passion reflects in the eyes of the patron who has a sparkle in the eye for each sip taken. This is the only rule for any bartender irrespective of gender, caste, and nationality. The metrics through which a bartender is graded as the best must just be based on their talent and proactiveness than any intervention of uninvited intentions of irrelevant elements of discrimination.
A woman is no less than any man in any possible limitations. The hand that rocks the cradle can also rule the world. This has been proven many times by many such amazing women who made the world’s heads turn towards them through their unmatched deeds in various fields. Be it an entrepreneur or a sports star, a woman shouts it loud with her work that she is here to stay!
A woman bartender, on the other hand, has a different story to narrate. She is both benevolent and bewildered as she has made a great attempt to qualify to plunge into this big pool of bartending opportunities which sees more male swimmers than womenfolk. Working at a bar comes in with great responsibility and the ability to stay strong and sturdy against all the odds is something that women find more difficult than male bartenders. Nagging staff members, workplace harassment, and many other issues have to be addressed on a regular basis to ensure the safety of the female bar attendant compared to the male staff.
Here’s Galaxy training Australia listing 5 such problems that only a female bar staff will understand.
1. GENDER DISCRIMINATION
There are only around 12% of female bartenders across the world. This statement alone justifies the level of gender discrimination that the woman has to go through you may say. But this is partially true. There might be not so many aspiring women who would love to be bartenders. At the same time, there are instances when women are looked down upon for being a woman. There were complaints recorded across Australia by women bartenders stating that a manager disagreed with hiring as she was a lady and a few more trainers refused to train the newly hired women bartenders stating they might be incompetent and the training might go a complete waste. Many countries have seen women bartenders coming out with grievances stating that the bar or the restaurant hired them just as eye candy and they are just expected to “pose” as bartenders but not be one. Pretending to work hard, you are not hired to do any work – this is the worst punishment any employee can be awarded.
2. NOT BEING TAKEN SERIOUSLY
There were some objections raised by some female bartenders regarding their expertise being laughed at. It was said that the management was surprised to see that the female bartenders are highly qualified and knowledgeable. The male-dominant restaurant administration was awestruck to know that a female bartender actually knows the intricate nuances of drink mixing. This is a bit disturbing for those women who undergo the same procedure of training and education just like the boys but get a different reaction because they are girls.
3. PUT IN DOUBLE EFFORT TO PROVE THEMSELVES
It was said that one of the bars in Chicago which had a very capable female bartender revealed to the press that she had slogged twice the time compared to any male staff of the bar to reach the same position in which they are in. This is the state of mind of many anti-feminist citizens who think that a woman being proactive is something strange, but the same proactiveness from a man is considered hard work.
4. SECURITY ISSUES
There have been many instances when a female bar staff complained about having been touched at inappropriate places by the patrons who are the usual customers who contribute greatly to the success of the restaurant. Bringing this up can cost the reputation of the business joint and fairer would be the chance of the female employee losing out on her opportunity of continuing her employment term anymore. Security of the female staff is disregarded in many places which is one of the reasons behind the drop in the number of female bar staff across the globe. The management must make vigilant rules for the conduct of customers too just like that which has been made for the employees.
5. WORK AND FAMILY BALANCE
A woman is passionate about having a bartending career, not that she is not interested in having a family too. There are many such successful female bartenders who have a glorious career and warmth-filled family too in their life. This is usually a rarity as women find it hard to strike a perfect work-life balance as bar staff due to their prolonged night shifts, frequent travel plans, and ever-busy schedules. This is possible only if there is a support system like a compassionate and understanding spouse and or a reliable person who can take care of the family in the bartender’s absence.
Losing out on better opportunities due to them being a woman, having been offered a lesser pay package, and being hired just for their looks are some of the other usually encountered unpleasant situations that female bartenders have to face in their life. This can be controlled by abolishing the stereotypes that build a barrier against such lame reasons and getting exempted from having the able/deserving staff rather than the preferred majority.