**Tl;dr: Chocolate can be craved more due to female hormones but the media has turned it into a food catered to women contributing to the stereotype.** Chocolate may be craved by women more [due to female reproductive hormones estrogen and progesterone,](https://www.chocolateandmoredelights.com/blogs/news/why-women-crave-chocolate-more-than-men#:~:text=Female%20reproductive%20hormones%2C%20Estrogen%20and,women%20craving%20chocolate%20than%20men.&text=There%27s%20no%20clear%20reason%20why,they%20need%20to%20feel%20good.) these hormones can produce moderate forms of depression (oversensitivity, mood swings, insomnia). Chocolate is craved by those feeling low due to its [number of active flavonoids which induces positive effects on the mood](https://www.chocolateandmoredelights.com/blogs/news/why-women-crave-chocolate-more-than-men#:~:text=Female%20reproductive%20hormones%2C%20Estrogen%20and,women%20craving%20chocolate%20than%20men.&text=There%27s%20no%20clear%20reason%20why,they%20need%20to%20feel%20good.). This demonstrates that scientifically women may be more inclined to want to eat chocolate. However, these stereotypes have been bolstered by the media, especially ad campaigns. Adverts such as the Galaxy ads often present an attractive female biting into the chocolate in a seductive manner. This insinuating chocolate is a ‘woman’s food’ and deterring men from wanting to look feminine by eating it- contributing to the stereotype that chocolate is gendered.

The gendering of chocolate seems to be a cultural phenomenon. A [study on gender and chocolate cravings](https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/well-good/teach-me/78098940/do-women-really-crave-chocolate-more-than-men) saw radically different results between the USA and Spain, suggesting that different cultures can influence ideas about who chocolate is designed for. In America only 59% of men admitted to craving chocolate in contrast to 91% of women. However, in Spain, 80% of men craved chocolate, a very similar statistic to the 90% of Spanish women who also did. There is no special reason why women supposedly like chocolate more than men do. Rather, it is part of a complex series of learned behaviours and food habits based in certain cultures which promote ideas that chocolate is a women's product.

Food itself isn’t gendered as we are all the same and all equally capable of eating and enjoying all foods, with the only differences down to personal preferences and gendered marketing. Certain products are aimed or targeted at certain demographics and therefore, these products are more likely to be consumed by these groups. For instance, Yorkie’s ‘Its not for girls’ slogan has made this chocolate brand inherently masculine, due solely to the way it is marketed, whereas Galaxy products appeal more to women due to their elegant advertisements. Suggesting that chocolate is gendered, or any food, is limiting and the further contribution from marketing measures works to accentuate this division. In today's market, consumption is massively driven through advertisement and marketing, and evidently, the portrayal of a particular product becomes a powerful tool in patterns and trends of this consumption.

While I am of the opinion that *[food shouldn't be gendered, the reality of the situation is that it is](https://scroll.in/article/948289/steak-for-the-gentleman-salad-for-the-lady-how-foods-came-to-be-gendered).* No doubt, [two main reasons for this (still being relevant in today's society) is most likely due to a *combination* social conditioning - over the years and marketing purposes](https://www.urbanette.com/does-food-have-a-gender/).