Wealth of Geeks

Only 5% of women surveyed in a ButcherBox report felt confident using an outdoor grill. Despite making great strides in climbing the corporate ladder and breaking glass ceilings, the backyard barbecue remains one stubborn place where men continue to take charge.

Another study exploring gender distribution in meal prepping in the United States shows that 80% of women do most of the family’s meal planning or preparing. Considering women primarily take on this responsibility, why do they confine their culinary skills to the kitchen? What happens in that final step of walking out to the backyard and firing up the barbecue that seems to be a barrier?

Why do men

grill more?

Grilling food on a barbecue is often the cooking method of choice for social gatherings, family get-togethers, parties, and sporting events. Many men enjoy taking on the role of grillmaster as a way to socialize, bond, and show off their cooking skills. But whether they want to or not, there is an expectation that men take charge of the grill.

One reason is that grilling is often associated with outdoor activities, which traditionally were male-dominated. This perception may have influenced those expectations. Some also believe the desire for men to claim the outdoor grilling space goes back to prehistoric times when men were the hunters in the family. There is something about starting an open fire that returns to this archetypal core. It also helps that barbecue cooking utensils even look masculine as they are typically larger, almost tool-like in their form.

Recently, though, scientists found even more evidence that destroys the long-accepted myth that men were solely hunters while women gathered seeds, berries, and roots. Researchers discovered that women were equally involved in hunting and cooking food over an open flame. With so many other changes in our world, perhaps this misconception that hunting and starting fires is a masculine activity can finally be put to rest.

Why are women

so hesitant?

There’s another stereotype that only men confidently use power tools. This, along with the perception of the grill being something of a power tool — just ask Home Improvement ‘s Tim Taylor — has led to women expressing a low confidence rate in operating a grill.

Some women even fear that one false move while igniting a gas grill can lead to disastrous results like a flame high enough to singe their eyebrows. Women are more than capable of firing up a grill, however, so it’s time to silence the media-led notion that men are the bosses of the barbecue.

Does the media

perpetuate the

stereotype?

Many television shows, movies, and advertisements reinforce the “man grill” ideas by portraying men as the primary adults in charge of grilling the meat. For better or worse, these depictions continue to shape society’s perceptions of gender roles.

Christie Vanover is the owner and pitmaster of the Girls Can Grill website and recently appeared on The Food Network’s BBQ Brawl.