Sociology, Gender, Food Consumption and the Hospitality Industry

This article offers a preliminary analysis of the relationships between the domestic and commercial provisioning of food relative to gender differences in society. Its central theme is that any understanding of patterns of food provision and consumption must not be based on marketing theory alone but take cognisance of the social processes that inform dietary behaviour, and in particular the extent to which such processes are mediated by the role of women both as preparers and consumers of food. In order to illustrate these arguments, comparisons are made of domestic and commercial “food systems” and the role of women relative to these.