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why so few female baristas?

adminadmin
edited January 1970 in Have your say
Interesting article from the Guardian a few days ago: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/australia-food-blog/2015/aug/19/grounds-for-complaint-female-baristas-struggle-to-change-cafe-culture

any comments/thoughts? Will also try and make contact with one or two members over the weekend, to see if they would like to contribute their views

A
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Comments

  • askthecoffeeguyaskthecoffeeguy
    I think it's just lazy journalism to pose such a question without exploring it more fully  and it would be interesting to look at a cross section of the cafes in question to see if this holds true - certainly in the speciality coffee market there seems to be a high proportion of female baristas and I for one often prefer to work with female staff on the machine because there's usually a lot less attitude and ego involved P
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  • Cuir BelugaCuir Beluga
    My 2 cents, not that it is worth much, but I am wondering if it really is a good overview of the industry. I know nothing, and I mean nothing, of the ins and outs of the industry but to me that particular article looks to be more of a feminazi rant than anything. Just my thoughts anyway  8).
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  • GaryatGalaGaryatGala
    I work with two fellow baristas whose skill levels are without question and they are great fun to work with as well as being great with customers. As Pat mentioned, it is lazy journalism. It wasnt that long ago that the world latte championship was a lady from japan. I think it was last year that Rie Moustakas won the australian latte art champion. As far as skills go, they are at the same level as men. As for the tax bracket, women have tertiary careers and/or families to look after, so there,s a higher proportion of them working as casuals or part timers. As with multiculturalism, as well as age categories, both men and women should be treated with equal merit and given a fair go.
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  • GeekKopiGeekKopi
    I've only come across a handful of female baristi while getting coffee.
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  • FreshCoffee2FreshCoffee2
    Gosh the "media' in Australia likes a beat up doesnt it? If more females wanted to work as barista's, I guess they just....would. No? Same as female pollies, and female executives etc etc etc etc etc.... There are two very capable and lovely female baristas working in the cafe in my roasterie. They know their job well and that is not just to make excellent coffee, BUT ALSO TO develop (business) relationships with the clients, engage them, know their orders, make them feel special, get them to come back etc.  They are essentially, sales people. They have personality. They work as a team and handle a lot of pressure when its busy, always keeping their cool. The clients love them, and so management loves them as well... They were not selected on the basis of their gender, they were selected on the basis of who was the best candidate at the time positions were being filled. It will be the same again next time there is a position vacant, so there is just as much chance a male could be selected instead..... As an employer, the brief should be to always improve the quality of your staff to better your business. If you interview a bunch of potential baristas, you go with the one you think will do the best job for you, and that has to be irrespective of gender. Gender equity, is not the act of favouring/weighting female candidates over male candidates just for the sake of pressure from outside to get a more even gender balance in the workplace. Notwithstanding, perhaps the journos would like to take a look at the Childcare Industry where there is a ***disgraceful*** gender equity problem because......99% of all child care workers are.......female....and where males are looked upon with suspicion lest they be child molesters... No? thought so. Childcare Industry doesnt have the same BS appeal as Coffee industry does, and the BS industry must crank on... ;)
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  • GeekKopiGeekKopi
    on 1440629986:
    Gosh the "media' in Australia likes a beat up doesnt it? If more females wanted to work as barista's, I guess they just....would. No? Same as female pollies, and female executives etc etc etc etc etc.... There are two very capable and lovely female baristas working in the cafe in my roasterie. They know their job well and that is not just to make excellent coffee, BUT ALSO TO develop (business) relationships with the clients, engage them, know their orders, make them feel special, get them to come back etc.  They are essentially, sales people. They have personality. They work as a team and handle a lot of pressure when its busy, always keeping their cool. The clients love them, and so management loves them as well... They were not selected on the basis of their gender, they were selected on the basis of who was the best candidate at the time positions were being filled. It will be the same again next time there is a position vacant, so there is just as much chance a male could be selected instead..... As an employer, the brief should be to always improve the quality of your staff to better your business. If you interview a bunch of potential baristas, you go with the one you think will do the best job for you, and that has to be irrespective of gender. Gender equity, is not the act of favouring/weighting female candidates over male candidates just for the sake of pressure from outside to get a more even gender balance in the workplace. Notwithstanding, perhaps the journos would like to take a look at the Childcare Industry where there is a ***disgraceful*** gender equity problem because......99% of all child care workers are.......female....and where males are looked upon with suspicion lest they be child molesters... No? thought so. Childcare Industry doesnt have the same BS appeal as Coffee industry does, and the BS industry must crank on... ;)
    hi FC. where are you/roastery/cafe based?
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  • FreshCoffee2FreshCoffee2
    Hi GK. The Bean!Roasters roastery/cafe/showroom/workshop/training facility is in the industrial suburb of Fyshwick in the A.C.T.  :)
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  • GeekKopiGeekKopi
    on 1440664256:
    Hi GK. The Bean!Roasters roastery/cafe/showroom/workshop/training facility is in the industrial suburb of Fyshwick in the A.C.T.  :)
    next time I'm up there I'll swing past [emoji108]
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  • GaryatGalaGaryatGala
    Tell the girls to brace themselves FC. If they see a dude turn up on a red mustang, he,s not there just for the coffee. [emoji6] [emoji106]
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  • GeekKopiGeekKopi
    on 1440719490:
    Tell the girls to brace themselves FC. If they see a dude turn up on a red mustang, he,s not there just for the coffee. [emoji6] [emoji106]
    lol GG if I were to drive the stang from Melb to Canberra I'd go broke and won't be able afford a coffee [emoji13] The car drinks so much. [emoji38]
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  • DoubleRistrettoDoubleRistretto
    on 1440213872:
    I think it's just lazy journalism to pose such a question without exploring it more fully  and it would be interesting to look at a cross section of the cafes in question to see if this holds true - certainly in the speciality coffee market there seems to be a high proportion of female baristas and I for one often prefer to work with female staff on the machine because there's usually a lot less attitude and ego involved P
    not sure I agree ACG … admit I haven't 'done the numbers', but anecdotally I just about always find it to be a male barista, whenever I go to a decent cafe  ???
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