Butterball seeking out men for its turkey hotline

For 32 years the Butterball Hotline has coaxed panic-stricken Thanksgiving chefs off the ledge. Offering advice as well as tips and tricks, Butterball's Thanksgiving hotline is staffed by about 60 people. But up until this year, they have all been women.

Now Butterball is looking to help even out the gender imbalance, and is encouraging men to apply for the job. The company claims that they never specifically sought to exclude men from the hiring process. It's just that, for whatever reason, men never applied.

I'm skeptical of this claim. It's the same thing that PR reps always say when challenged on gender bias. Why aren't there more female speakers at comic book conventions? They don't submit applications. Why aren't there more women in STEM careers? They don't submit applications.

This argument deftly overlooks the long-standing cultural and corporate bias which pushes back against women at every level. I'm sure if you asked the KKK why they don't have more black members, they would say "They don't submit applications."

I'm a feminist, and here's why this Butterball thing is important. First and foremost because gender balance is important, regardless of the context. But there are other factors at work here.

While celebrity chefs may be almost exclusively male, cooking dinner for the family is still widely considered "women's work." And as long as women are the only ones publicly doing it (as on the Butterball hotline) this will continue to be the case.

The loathsome stereotype of the "incompetent dad" also needs to die. It does men's skills a disservice, and it only serves to cement the idea of "women's work," that there are aspects of life (like cooking dinner or changing the baby) which women are somehow genetically more capable at performing.

I imagine some people might be surprised to hear a man's voice on the other end of the Butterball hotline. But men can be just as nurturing, empathetic, and competent in the kitchen as women. I congratulate Butterball on this move.

Image courtesy Flickr/SliceOfChic