Diversity and gender issues in hotel management [Chapter eight].

Abstract

The hospitality and tourism industry constantly evolves, with fast-paced changes, multidimensional challenges, fierce competition, generational and cultural differences, and crises. This volatile environment requires hotel leaders to be resilient and able to adapt. (Giousmpasoglou et al. 2021). Moreover, one of the key challenges for hoteliers globally is the high labour turnover, which costs the industry £274 million per annum (People 1st 2017), as well as skills shortages(McKinsey 2020). As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many hotels closed down and had difficulty reopening. In addition to causing cultural diversity and inclusion challenges, the post COVID-19 crisis negatively affected the gender wage gap, negatively affecting women disproportionately in the workplace (Madera et al. 2023). This chapter explores diversity and diversity management, focusing on gender issues in hotel management. Despite the profound benefits of an inclusive working environment, the global hotel industry is slow in adopting best practices in diversity management. In addition, the challenging working conditions and the masculine occupational culture are the key challenges for women to pursue a career in hotels. The #metoo campaign and other recent developments have brought to light issues, including sexual harassment and widespread gender segregation in the hotel sector, particularly in senior management and board positions. The organisational barriers preventing women from progressing in their careers, the structural barriers in the hotel sector, and the pay differences between male and female managers are discussed in the chapter. For this purpose, the chapter presents some key success stories from existing hotels and proposes ways to benefit from the existing talent of women and other diverse groups.